Travel and Hospitality: Building Resilience for the Long Run — a new E-book

This has been an unprecedented few months for the travel and hospitality industry: travelers and guests, providers and suppliers, employees and stakeholders alike. From almost every part of the world, we’ve heard stories from customers laser-focused on the safety and well-being of their guests and ‘above and beyond’ efforts to repatriate travelers.

We’ve supported the industry in good times and throughout periods of disruption. Each disruption presents different challenges, while each company has different needs during those times. Across the AWS Travel and Hospitality team, we work with industry customers across many different parts of the world, of every different size and segment of the industry. This includes industry leaders such as Airbnb, Avis Budget Group, Best Western, Choice Hotels, DoorDash, Dunkin’ Brands, Expedia Group, Korean Air, McDonald’s, Ryanair, Sysco, United Airlines, and Wyndham Hotels as well as start-ups like Cloudbeds, SiteMinder, Toast and Volara.

It’s this breadth and diversity of customers that grants us a unique perspective, to recognize common themes, challenges and solutions specifically at times of disruption. As more and more customers asked us to share our insights, learnings and recommendations, we started documenting and cataloging them, which has resulted in the AWS Travel & Hospitality E-book: Building Resilience For The Long Run. Filled with strategic observations, hints and tips, the E-book provides guidance to building a more resilient organization, potentially serving as a useful resource both as travel and hospitality companies address both current challenges and those yet to come.

Download the AWS Travel & Hospitality E-book: Building Resilience For The Long Run

Built around the three phases – response, continuity and recovery – our customers tell us they manage through any business disruption, the Resiliency E-book highlights opportunities for optimizing and automating your technology systems and processes, while enabling new services and capabilities to meet a changing environment. For each distinct phase, we highlight customers who have implemented some of the recommendations, as well as AWS partners who have developed corresponding solutions. We recognize that technology can only do so much in the face of any disruption. And while the E-book is not designed to be comprehensive, we have focused on the business priorities our customers tell us have the greatest impact.

There’s commentary about building a resilient organization, and inspiration for how to organize innovation in the face of disruption. Phil Le-Brun, an AWS Enterprise Strategist writes about building resilient organizations — based largely on insights he gathered while holding leading technology roles during his 20+ years at McDonald’s Corporation. Richard Halkett, AWS Worldwide Digital Innovation leader shares insights into innovating through disruption, enabling a more resilient organization. Recognizing that travel and hospitality companies need more than technology services as they progress through the three phases, the E-book also features a compilation of curated opportunities from across Amazon, specific to the needs of travel of hospitality companies. Alexa for Hospitality, Amazon Advertising, Amazon Business, Amazon Hub, Amazon Pay and Audible are all featured.

We’re certain game-changing innovations born out of disruption will impact and improve the way we fly, stay, eat, and experience our world. Perhaps some of the approaches outlined in this E-book will support companies on that journey. This E-book is just a small, first step in our attempt to bring together ways we are seeing travel and hospitality companies becoming more resilient. And as challenges evolve, we’re sure to see many more innovative solutions coming from the travel and hospitality industry as it looks to rebuild, recover, and thrive.