Hospitality Upgrade President and Publisher Richard Siegel said, �This unprecedented survey is intended to produce an operational tool for the industry, which CIOs can use for benchmarking and budgeting purposes.�

This �by the industry�for the industry� survey began at the 2005 CIO Summit, where the vast majority of CIOs in attendance said that the current comparative spend data available was poor and inadequate. An overwhelming 95 percent of the CIOs indicated that they were likely to complete a comparative spend survey. 
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Meaningful comparative data regarding costs, productivity, efficiency and cycle time are simply not available to the hospitality community. This causes organizations to guess where they stand versus relevant competitors. Survey Steering Committee member Jim Lamb, SVP IT of Global Hyatt, said, �"Like most technology leaders in the hotel industry, I am under constant pressure to increase the value derived from our IT expenditures.  Accurate spending benchmarks for the industry will allow me to assess our spending on IT from the perspective of external market competitiveness as opposed to internal cost containment � a distinction which is critical to delivering strategic value from investments in IT.�

Mike Sutten, VP/CIO of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Survey Steering Committee member, said, �Many of us benchmark our organizations using the venues that are commercially available. We probably all have had similar reactions�why is this so different from my spending profile?  After further examining the details, we find that the base data is generated from an oil company conglomerate or an aerospace firm with little or no ties to our hospitality market. Although the cruise industry is a subset of the larger hospitality industry, I am confident that a benchmark comprised of hotels and casinos would more closely approximate my cruise line scenario and provide valuable insights.�

IT organizations require access to in-depth IT benchmarking and best practices that compare organizational processes and practices to those of relevant peers and world-class organizations in terms of costs, productivity, efficiency and cycle time. Traditional IT benchmarking has centered around technology silos such as desktop, mainframe, operating systems and networking. As IT executives have continued to demonstrate their critical role in supporting the business, organizations concluded that focusing on the process of IT can yield high returns. This makes the need for a horizontal view of IT processes increasingly important.

A third-party research firm, Performance Monitor, will set standards for the survey�s methodology and data integrity. The survey will be launched on Wednesday, July 11, 2007. Results will initially be revealed exclusively to the attendees of The CIO Summit on September 6, 2007. If you are unable to attend the CIO Summit, but still wish to participate in the survey, results will be available on October 1, 2007. 

If you did not receive a survey and would like to participate or for more information on the benchmarking survey, please contact Sally Kelly at [email protected]. For more information on attending The CIO Summit, please contact Charlotte Somers at [email protected].
 
About Hospitality Upgrade

Established in 1992, Hospitality Upgrade is the leading technology magazine published for hotel, travel and foodservice professionals including management, independent operators, executives and chains. Published three times a year, Hospitality Upgrade educates hospitality professionals on the latest technology software and hardware solutions. Regular coverage focuses on new industry trends and products, in-depth analyses by leading hospitality consultants, insider news and gossip, interviews with top industry executives, and profiles from many of the industries' solution providers. Specific topics include purchasing and maintenance of the following hospitality systems: point-of-sale, property management, back office, sales and marketing, Internet, in-room, restaurant management, central reservations, guest response, handheld/wireless technologies, executive information and more. 

With more than 28,000 readers in 88 countries, Hospitality Upgrade is committed to shaping and defining the future of the hospitality technology industry. For more information or to sign up for a FREE subscription, visit www.hospitalityupgrade.com.

Hospitality Industry IT Benchmarking Survey
Sally Kelly
[email protected]

The CIO Summit
Charlotte Somers
[email protected]