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Fabrizio Gritta | The Use of Social Big Data in Small Hospitality Businesses


                         Among the benefits, we highlight some of the   tools for the scheduling of posts, the moni-
                      key ways in which AI and Big Data can impact the   toring of online conversations, and the ge-
                      management of small facilities:                neration of automated reports can result in
                                                                     the liberation of resources and the allocati-
                        •  Service personalisation: by analysing data   on of valuable time to other pivotal business
                          from online interactions,  social  media  and   activities.
                          mobile devices, businesses can create tai-
                          lored offers for individual users, improving   It should be noted that this research is subject
                          customer satisfaction.                  to certain limitations. Firstly, the sample of bu-
                        •  Online reputation management: advanced   sinesses involved may not be representative of
                          algorithms can analyse reviews, social media   all realities in Rome. The participating busines-
                          posts and customer feedback to identify are-  ses may differ significantly from those that did
                          as of strength and improvement, allowing   not, which could introduce potential bias. Secon-
                          businesses to respond proactively.      dly, limited access to internal data may have in-
                        •  Targeted marketing: Big Data analytics   fluenced the completeness of the information
                          can identify the most profitable market se-  collected and the analysis conducted, limiting
                          gments and personalise marketing campa-  the depth and accuracy of the conclusions and
                          igns to speak directly to these groups.  recommendations. Finally, the specific context of
                        •  Demand forecasting: Big Data and  AI can   the research may affect the generalisability of the
                          predict future tourism trends by analysing   results. It is possible that the dynamics of the ho-
                          historical and current data, allowing busi-  tel market in Rome may differ from those obser-
                          nesses to adjust their strategies in advance.
                                                                  ved in other cities or regions. Consequently, the
                                                                  findings may not be readily transferable to other
                         Small hospitality businesses can adopt solu-  geographical contexts.
                      tions to overcome limitations arising from their   In summary, despite the limitations encoun-
                      small size. These include collaboration with spe-  tered, this research provides important guideli-
                      cialised companies and staff training.      nes for small hospitality businesses interested in
                                                                  leveraging social big data to improve their opera-
                        •  Collaboration with specialised companies:   tions and meet customer needs more effectively.
                          small businesses can collaborate with exter-
                          nal suppliers or agencies specialising in soci-  References
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