As technology begins to play a larger and more complex role in the lodging industry, hoteliers are making tough decisions when it comes to budgeting and purchasing IT systems.

Associate professor Mehmet Erdem offers up some hard data as well as guidance in his Annual Lodging Technology study, conducted with Hospitality Technology magazine.

"The purpose of the study," said Erdem, "is to offer a benchmark report for hoteliers and to identify issues relating to technology management in hospitality, such as satisfaction levels with various IT initiatives, perceptions on the role of technology in seeking innovation, etc."

The report helps hoteliers gain insight into important industry trends by tracking budgets and projected installations for a variety of hotel technologies, as well as differences in their use across different hotel segments (i.e. mid-scale versus upscale).

The study's results are presented each April at the Hospitality Technology Forum. Issues are then shared at the International Hospitality Information Technology Association (iHITA) and International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) summer conferences. "The idea of the study is to encourage scholars to further pursue issues identified in the report," Erdem explained.

Recently Erdem and his team earned iHITA’s Best Research Poster award based on findings from last year’s Annual Lodging Technology Study.