From consideration, arrival to departure, technology now plays a role at every stage of the customer journey in venues with two in five (40 per cetn) of people agreeing that technology has improved their hospitality experiences.

The report identifies safety is no longer the main benefit of technology in hospitality for consumers. Instead, people rated the top benefits as: speed and convenience (31 per cent of people rated this as their top benefit), ease of ordering (29 per cent) and tracking orders (17 per cent).

“Although many aspects of hospitality were gradually becoming more digitised even before the pandemic, the last 12 months have certainly accelerated this adoption,” said Alison Vasey, group product director at Zonal.

“What this new research shows is that having accepted the technology, consumers now see how it improves their hospitality experiences. This is because technology not only removes pain points that have always existed, such as not being able to get the attention of a server or having to wait too long to settle the bill, but it also helps operators deliver more tailored and personalised experiences to their guests. Letting technology take some of the strain of service also frees up staff to concentrate on those elements that consumers rate so highly like greeting guests and swiftly answering queries.”

The report shows that over half of consumers (51 per cent) prefer to be welcomed in person when they arrive and demonstrates how integrated technology can help operators personalise arrivals - by showing guests to their preferred table or suggesting menu items based on past orders.

When it comes to ordering, the research reveals the top three guest frustrations are: struggling to get the server’s attention (30 per cent of respondents); items they want not being available (22 per cent), and being rushed to place their order (18 per cent), all of which can be solved through the adoption of technology.