Research On Driving Factors And Path Of Digital Transformation Of Nanjing Jinling Hotel Group

Over the past few years,a new wave of technological and industrial reform has emerged around the world.Including traditional service industries,the digital economy has become a new strategic choice.The traditional hotel industry confronts a number of challenges nowadays,including rising rents and labor costs,a high degree of product homogeneity,extremely dispersed information and data,and complicated operation processes,digitalization of hotels will assist hotels in controlling costs,improving management efficiency,enhancing customer experiences,enhancing competitiveness,and enhancing their brand and product identity.Digital transformation is a crucial aspect of hotels,but most hotels are unsure about how to conduct it.Nevertheless,digital transformation will also increase operating costs,which are not conducive to short-term benefits for hotels.Due to its digital reform strategy,Nanjing Jinling Hotel Group,the largest state-owned hotel group in Jiangsu Province,has achieved remarkable achievements.for instance,it was awarded the "Excellent Case of Yangtze River Delta Enterprise Digital Innovation" award on January 6,2022,at the establishment conference of the Jiangsu Digital Economy Association and the Yangtze River Delta Digital Economy Conference.In this study,a field survey was conducted in Jinling Hotel Group.In the first step,a semi-structured interview with the general manager of Jinling Digital Technology Center was conducted.Secondly,Jinling’s business management departments were surveyed and interviewed to verify the results.In order to summarize the content,path,and driving factors of Jinling’s digital transformation,primary and secondary enterprise data were also collected.It has been found that Jinling Hotel Group’s digital transformation is a top-down strategic transformation initiated by its senior management.There are three driving factors for the transformation: group strategy-data and technology-business and technology deeply integrated,and the transformation path of information empowerment-digital empowerment-digital empowerment.According to the results,five change steps were identified,including planning,organizing,analyzing,implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of the project.The cognitive levels of top management,overall responsibility in management,a clear strategy,digital talent,and appropriate business partners,as well as an orientation to digital culture are also important factors in the digital transformation process.This study of digital transformation makes several contributions.First,this study transfers innovation experiences from the manufacturing industry to the service industry.Furthermore,it summarizes the digital transformation path of the traditional service industry,which is useful as a reference for the traditional service industry.Thirdly,suggestions are made for traditional service enterprises.To accelerate the digital transformation,service enterprises should strengthen the recognition level of digitalization at the top,adhere to the concept of long-termism,develop a digital transformation strategy tailored to their needs,move the digital transformation from business to business,achieve a balance between long-termism and short-term benefits,and work with appropriate business partners to achieve these goals.Furthermore,in order to facilitate the digital transformation of the entire traditional service industry,the government should devise policies that would increase financial support,provide effective loan channels,publicize typical cases,and facilitate exchanges and cooperation.