Observation and Benchmarking News High computer and internet use in Portuguese hotels High computer and internet use in Portuguese hotels
- 15/06/2009
A survey on ICT use in the important hotel establishments economic sector was conducted for the first time in 2008. It was staged in the scope of the cooperation agreement established between the INE – National Statistics Institute and The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) . The results of the survey, which was conducted in the last quarter of 2008, were the subject of an INE press flash and have now been published in more detail. Consequently, the compilation of data on the Information Society in Portugal 2008 was updated, including the results of various surveys carried out in 2008 by public bodies. Most of these are annual surveys and began to be published together in 2006. There is now a further chapter on Hotel Establishments.
The results of the survey on ICT use by hotels that are SMEs or large companies that was conducted in the last quarter of 2008 show a sector where computers and the Internet are used a great deal. These establishments include 970 companies, of which 74% are small (10 to 49 employees), 25% medium-sized (50 to 249 employees) and 1% large (250 or more employees).
The following points from the survey results are of note:
- 98% of hotel establishments use computers and 97% have Internet access. These figures rise to 100% for medium-sized and large hotel companies. Computers are mainly used for activities involving management of: bookings (95%), guests (95%), finances (76%), suppliers (73%), stocks (70%), human resources (70%).
- 93% of hotel establishments provide guests with Internet access, 60% of which provide access from guests' rooms and 35% do so free of charge.
- 96% of hotel establishments have an online presence, of which 85% accept online bookings and 26% accept online payments.
- 88% of hotel establishments accepted accommodation bookings online in 2007. The figure is 91% for hotels, 93% for apartment-hotels and 98% for pousadas (historic inns).
- 45% of hotel establishments ordered goods and services online in 2007. The figure is 51% for hotels, 50% for apartment-hotels.
Even hotel micro-enterprises, which account for 915 establishments with fewer than 10 employees, make considerable use of ICT. In particular, 62% use computers and 57% have Internet access (the figures are 100% for pousadas and tourism villages, 94% for apartment-hotels and 91% for hotels), 66% provide guests Internet access (65% of which do so free of charge), 53% have an online presence, 41% accepted accommodation bookings online in 2007 (the number is 72% both for hotels and apartment - hotels).