Why hotel digitalisation can’t wait: Transforming operations for today’s guests
In an increasingly connected travel industry, digitalisation is no longer a choice for hotels: it’s an operational necessity.
Recent traveller surveys - including research by Oracle Hospitality and Skift - confirm what the industry has long known: guests expect digital-first experiences. More than 70% of travellers prefer to manage at least part of their stay online from their mobile device, and over half are willing to switch brands if offered a more seamless and digital journey.
Beyond guest satisfaction, digitalisation is now central to business growth and profitability. Automation reduces manual workload, eliminates human errors, and helps hotels respond faster to changes in demand. With travellers booking, checking in, and paying online more than ever before, digitalising the hotel’s operational backbone is key to staying competitive in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
Overcoming today’s hotel operational challenges
With the hospitality landscape changing so rapidly, it's natural for hoteliers to experience uncertainty. Travellers expect more, operating costs are rising, and technology continues to evolve at a pace. Yet, many hotels still face daily operational hurdles that make it harder to deliver efficient, guest-centric experiences.
Let’s have a closer look at the main pain points faced by hoteliers today:
- Guests expecting seamless digital and personalised experiences
Today’s travellers are used to managing their lives online, from banking to booking flights. They now expect the same convenience and control during their hotel stay. When processes such as check-in, payments, or upselling are still manual, the guest journey feels fragmented. This can lead to lower satisfaction and missed revenue opportunities
- Rising labour costs and ongoing staff shortages
With global staff shortages persisting across the hospitality sector, many hotels are operating with smaller teams. At the same time, labour costs continue to rise, putting additional pressure on profitability. Digital tools that automate repetitive tasks (from registration forms to invoice issuing) allow teams to focus on what really matters: delivering an excellent guest experience.
- Increasing tech costs and difficulty integrating separate systems
The average hotel now uses more than a dozen different technology solutions across departments. Yet, most of these tools are not designed to talk to each other. Industry research shows the problem is widespread: 49% of hoteliers struggle to access critical data, and 40% cite disconnected systems as their biggest obstacle. This fragmentation not only wastes resources but also limits decision-making.
- Hours of operations lost to inefficient, manual processes
Manual check-ins, printed documents, and traditional payment workflows are still common in many properties. These processes slow down service, create bottlenecks, and increase the risk of administrative errors. The time spent on these tasks could instead be invested in guest interaction and personalisation.
These pain points collectively highlight that many hotels are still operating with systems that don’t communicate effectively. While many hotels have already embraced digital marketing and a B2B distribution strategy, a significant number still rely on manual or disconnected processes for core operations: from check-in, upsell, and cross-sell options, to payments and check-out.
This lack of digitisation and integration can limit guest satisfaction and add unnecessary operational friction. For instance, traditional check-in processes often result in long queues, administrative errors, and unnecessary workload for hotel staff. Paper-based forms and manual data entry consume resources (ink, paper, storage, etc.), but also valuable time that could instead be dedicated to guest service.
To address these challenges, the hospitality sector is inevitably adapting smart technologies that automate routine tasks and create frictionless guest experiences. This is where Civitfun plays a leading role.
How Civitfun powers hotel digital transformation
Civitfun, now part of HBX Group, has become a catalyst for change within hotel operations, helping hotels transition from traditional processes to a fully digital workflow, from pre-arrival to post-stay.
With a hub of over 100 integrations with PMS, payment gateways, and electronic locks, Civitfun offers solutions ranging from online check-in to check-out, including Paperless, its on-site digital check-in solution, digital payments, upsell and cross-sell tools, and other solutions that contribute to operational optimisation.
Each of these solutions addresses a specific operational challenge while enhancing guest satisfaction, helping hotels save time, reduce costs, and increase revenue opportunities.
This innovative suite helps to relieve the aforementioned pain points and provides the following benefits for hotels, both independent and hotel chains:
- Tech cost reduction by offering an all-in-one solution, able to integrate and sync bidirectionally with the hotel PMS, eliminating redundant and fragmented systems.
- Cost savings by eliminating manual tasks, reducing reception workload, and enabling hotels to operate better with less staff.
- Guest satisfaction improvement by offering seamless, personalised digital experiences that are increasingly in demand by travellers.
When it comes to success stories and real results, this leading solution for front desk process digitisation has already helped more than 3,500 hotels to streamline their processes. One such case is PortAventura World in Spain, which relied on Civitfun to improve the guest experience at the park's hotels and achieved check-in processes up to three times faster, a 50% reduction in waiting times, and an increase in guest ratings to 9 out of 10.
Why digitalisation matters now
The timing of digital transformation has never been more critical. Travellers are not only demanding more control but also expecting real-time communication from hotels. Meanwhile, staff shortages across the sector are pushing hoteliers to rethink how they manage operations efficiently with leaner teams.
Digital tools like Civitfun’s solutions help address both sides of the equation: they meet guest expectations while reducing the operational burden. A digital-first strategy is also the way forward, as it prepares hotels to adapt quickly to new booking patterns, emerging payment methods, and evolving guest preferences.
In short, the hotels that act now to modernise their processes will be the ones best positioned to lead tomorrow’s travel landscape.
As the hospitality industry navigates this shift, partnerships between technology leaders and hotel brands are key to enabling real transformation.
Why work with HBX Group
The incorporation of Civitfun into HBX Group’s B2B travel marketplace has been a natural step, as this tech company brings extensive expertise in integrations and a deep understanding of the travel and hospitality sector, with previous agreements with solutions such as Roiback, thus integrating perfectly into the HBX Group travel ecosystem.
By integrating Civitfun’s technology, HBX Group can now offer hotels not only global B2B distribution but also operational excellence through digital automation. This acquisition marks a strategic step in strengthening its TravelTech ecosystem and expanding its offering for hotel partners.
At HBX Group, we understand that digital transformation goes beyond technology: it’s about partnership, connections, and shared success. Our ecosystem connects hotels with a global network of over 60,000 travel distributors, including 50,000 travel agencies and 3,500 tour operators, while supporting them with innovative tools designed to simplify operations.
When you partner with HBX Group, you gain access to:
- A connected TravelTech ecosystem: bringing together distribution, automation, and data-driven insights.
- Operational efficiency: reducing manual work and enhancing performance through digital solutions.
- Global market reach: access to more than 190 source markets, without competing with your direct channels.
- Collaborative support: a partnership built on trust, transparency, and innovation.
Ready to evolve your operations? Become an HBX Group partner and discover how our TravelTech solutions can transform your hotel business.