Information Technology in the Hospitality Industry: The Israeli Scene and Beyond

A survey of information technology (IT) in Israeli hotels revealed medium level of IT satisfaction and a lack of an integrated application suite for this industry, similar to the situation globally. This has led the authors to question whether hotels have the IT infrastructure needed for eBusiness and eCommerce. The survey identified two Israeli software vendors that, since 1999, have acted as Application Service Providers (ASP), renting applications to hotels and restaurants. Elsewhere in the world, however, hospitality ASP initiatives have been less developed. Because Israeli IT is relatively advanced, it is proposed that once renting IT is shown to be more affordable and manageable than buying IT, a trend toward ASPs might extend beyond the Israeli hospitality scene and facilitate the robust IT base needed for competing in the global economy.