Homestay Digital-Intelligence Transformation: Platforms Supply Technology, Capabilities Must Be Int…

Key points

• The survey covered 239 homestays around Erhai Lake in Dali, Yunnan, measuring digital application across operations management, data analysis, marketing, customer relations, recruitment and training/learning.
• Digital operations management scored highest at 6.21, followed by customer relationship management at 5.79, digital marketing at 5.70, data analysis at 5.31, digital recruitment at 4.68 and training/learning lowest at 4.47.
• Among the 239 homestays, OTA platform usage was 82.8%, property management system usage 80.3% and local life platform usage 70.7%, averaging about four types of digital tools each.
• WeChat Moments, Douyin and Xiaohongshu usage ranged from 25% to 33%, while few homestays used mini-programs or independent websites, concentrating digital channels on transactional platforms.
• Mid-range homestays scored 5.63 overall on digital technology application, higher than high-end homestays at 5.36; however, high-end homestays performed better in platform utilization, digital network collaboration and digital strategy alignment.
• The author recommends improving platform services for small operators, launching destination-level shared digital services and helping operators improve human-AI collaboration.