GAT Gestión de Activos Turísticos is a company with more than ten years of experience as an independent hotel operator, investment expert and consultant specialized in creating value for the sector.

On this occasion, we spoke with GAT about their view on the hotel sector. Also, we learned about some of the solutions they have implemented at their hotels. 

Digitization in the hotel sector

Do you believe that digitization of processes is a key issue for the hotel sector? 

No doubt, but another key issue when facing these new challenges is making sure you have management software available to help manage talent and automate processes in order to save time and resources, which can be invested in a more intelligent and sustainable management over time.

Any experience at this level has an immediate effect by customers enjoying these services when they share it on social networks. This provides a dual benefit, since customers are the best sales agents and consumer motivators for hotels.

From GAT we see that among the biggest challenges that hotels currently face is the selection of digitization processes that will allow them to become more efficient in terms of costs and facilitate more interactions with their customers through digital services, either during check-in and check-out or through a continuous communication with customers, before and after their stay.

Simplifying the digital transformation process and adopting digitization models is a process that entails reviewing the way companies interact with their environments: their customers, employees and suppliers.

Do you think the sector is sufficiently digitized? 

First and foremost, we must be aware that technology is just one aspect of the digital transformation of a business. The biggest change that must be assimilated by companies has to do with culture within the organization and not only with the use of new technologies.

An extremely important factor is the attitude of leaders at the company with respect to digital transformation. They must firmly believe in the process and should portray this belief to the rest of employees. Personnel in charge of a team, area or department must lead by example and support the strategy from top to bottom.

To conclude, I would say there is still much to do in this respect, the digital transformation process must be gradual but constant at the same time. Companies cannot postpone their digital transformation any longer if they want to continue competing in an ever changing and demanding market.

Solutions implemented by GAT

Of the different hotels managed by GAT and which are part of the Bavel transactions platform, Hotel Antequera Hills, Hotel Aragon Hills, Hotel Ziryab and The Residences Islantilla Apartments among others, have a special interest in being able to issue B2B, B2G and also B2C invoices.

Why have you decided to implement 100% electronic invoices? 

Fundamentally because of the number of benefits this solution provides:

•     Reduced payment delivery and collection times.
•     Improved employee satisfaction.
•     IT costs savings.
•     Increased productivity.
•     New business opportunities.
•     Reduced environmental impact.
•     Agile, secure and legal storage.
•     Elimination of the risk of loss.
•     Increased security.
•     Recruiting talent.

Also worth mentioning is that Spain has decided to make the use of electronic invoices mandatory for companies (B2B). The measure has been published by the General Directorate of Economic Policies in a draft Bill on the Start-up and Growth of Companies. 

How have end-customers accepted digitized invoices? What are its advantages?

In general, digitized invoices have been very well accepted, mainly because they improve customer experience. Digitizing some processes at the company increases customer retention levels. Also, digital channels allow interacting with customers in an easier and more dynamic way.

With digital transformation at its peak, we must make sure that all customers remain by our side and embrace the changes entailed by this technological revolution.

Ultimately, bridging this digital divide is vitally important in terms of accessing and using digital technologies by certain persons or groups. Naturally, in the first place, we must understand that not everyone can access the network or use it on equal terms and even though for some people this may be a simple every day task, for others it may be very difficult or even impossible.

In this process of issuing and sending invoices to end-customers, you have taken marketing actions offering promotions on future reservations. Do you feel this has provided the desired effect?

Certainly, we have implemented an e-marketing action consisting of adding an advertisement banner in the body of the email with the invoice as an attachment. The message by us, and to prevent the customer from identifying the message as intrusive Spam, is sent to let the customer know about special offers early as they are considered a loyal customer. We feel this method of communicating is well accepted because we try to make sure the design is appropriate, the message is natural, the offer is attractive and this effort, beyond achieving direct sales, has an impact in terms of the perceived image; a brand that takes care of its most loyal customers by offering them exclusive benefits.

We would like to thank GAT for this interview. Without a doubt, the hotel sector must embrace digital transformation. Companies that do this now will have a greater advantage.

La entrada Digitization of the hotel sector by GAT se publicó primero en Voxel - Blog.

The e-invoice will arrive in the country in December and its implementation will consist of two phases.

Less than a year ago, Saudi Arabia announced that e-invoicing would be mandatory by 2021. Since then, the country has detailed technical specifications, implementation phases and other information of interest. Below, we review the most important aspects to keep in mind if your company operates in Saudi Arabia.

FATOORAH Project

FATOORAH is the name of the e-invoicing project in Saudi Arabia. ZATCA is the tax authority responsible for the project.

In Saudi Arabia, e-invoicing will be mandatory for B2B, B2G and B2C transactions. And all taxpayers resident in the country will have to adopt it.

Implementation date and phases

The implementation of e-invoicing in Saudi Arabia will begin on 4 December 2021. From that date, paper invoices, or manual invoices, will no longer be accepted. Phase 1 of the project will then begin.

In phase 1 the taxpayer will have to generate the e-invoices with a compatible system. The taxpayer must also store the file and send an electronic copy to the customer. The e-invoice must contain information on the buyer’s tax number, the date of issue and the VAT breakdown. An optional QR code can be added to B2B invoices. The QR code is mandatory for B2C invoices or simplified invoices.

Phase 2 of e-invoicing implementation in Saudi Arabia will start on 1 January 2023. From that date, all invoicing systems will have to be integrated or compatible with the ZATCA system. Thereafter, invoices will have to be generated in XLM format. Certain mechanisms must also be implemented to ensure the security of electronic invoicing. These mechanisms are the electronic signature, the universal unique identifier and the hash. Including a QR code on the invoice will also be mandatory in phase 2 of the implementation of e-invoicing in Saudi Arabia.

If you do not want to miss the legislative updates on e-invoicing in Saudi Arabia, or in the rest of the world, subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

La entrada The implementation of e-invoicing in Saudi Arabia is now effective se publicó primero en Voxel - Blog.

As a result of the pandemic, many countries have had to modify their plans regarding electronic invoicing. Taking advantage of the fact that different indicators are beginning to point to the start of recovery, we review the state of e-invoicing regulation in the main receiving markets in Europe and Latin America. 

Electronic invoicing in Spain

The regulation of electronic invoicing in Spain has not changed recently. 

Thus, B2G electronic invoicing is compulsory through the facE platform, as long as the invoice amount exceeds €5,000. 

In B2B and B2C environments, the use of electronic invoicing is not mandatory, but its use is permitted and regulated. 

However, companies must electronically declare the details of invoices issued and received (including simplified invoices) within a maximum period of 4 calendar days, through the Immediate Information System (SII). The SII is mandatory for large companies, i.e. those that settle VAT on a monthly basis. 

At the same time, companies with tax headquarters in the Basque Country will have to adopt the TicketBAI system from 2022. TicketBAI is a platform through which companies must communicate the invoices and tickets they issue to the tax authorities in real time. Solve the most frequent doubts about TicketBAI here. 

Greece finally implements the MyData platform

Greece started working on the implementation of e-invoicing in 2017. But it was not until 2020 that B2G e-invoicing became mandatory in the country. 

At the B2B level, e-invoicing is not mandatory, but the Greek government has been developing the MyData platform for some time to implement real-time communication between companies and the tax authority. Finally, the MyData platform will be mandatory as of 1 July 2021. 

B2C e-invoicing is not mandatory in Greece. 

Electronic invoicing in Malta

Following the European Directive 2014/55/EU and in accordance with the national strategy “Digital Malta: 2014-2020”, B2G e-invoicing is mandatory in Malta since 2019.  

In the B2B and B2C areas, e-invoicing is not mandatory, but its use is regulated. 

In this regard, Maltese legislation allows companies to use an e-invoicing provider. This provider must store the documents guaranteeing their integrity, authenticity and availability and must also include an electronic signature. 

The situation in Portugal after multiple changes

Portugal has been one of the countries that have modified its electronic invoicing legislation the most due to the current situation caused by the global pandemic. 

After all these modifications, the mandatory use of electronic invoicing in the B2G environment is as follows:

• Large companies: mandatory as of 1 January 2021. 
• Small and medium-sized companies: mandatory as of 1 July 2021.
• Micro enterprises: mandatory as of 1 January 2022.

In addition, all invoices will have to include an Invoice Unique Customer Unique Number (ATCUD) and a QR code. The ATCUD and QR code will be mandatory as of 1 January 2022. 

B2B and B2C e-invoicing in Portugal are not mandatory, but its use is regulated.  

Likewise, companies must periodically submit a report of their invoices to the Tax Agency through the SAF-T (Standard Audit File for Tax) standard.

Electronic invoicing in Mexico

Mexico is one of the first countries in the world to implement mandatory electronic invoicing in all areas (B2G, B2B, B2G). The country has been working on this system since 2004 and almost all companies in Mexico are obliged to use electronic invoicing. 

In the Aztec country, the e-invoice follows a clearance model, i.e. e-invoices need government approval to be sent to the recipient. 

The “Comprobante Fiscal Digital por Internet” (CFDI) is the format defined by the Tax Administration Service (SAT) for issuing electronic invoices in the country. The process to issue an e-invoice in Mexico follows these steps: 

1. Generate a file with the structure defined by the SAT in XML.  In addition to a digital signature, this document must include the basic information of the transaction. 
2. Record the exact date and time the document is issued in an electronic system. 
3. An Authorised Certification Provider (PAC) will check that the document meets all legal requirements and within 72 hours will deliver the invoice to SAT. 
4. The certified supplier will also be responsible for delivering the invoice to its recipient if it meets all the established requirements. 

Mexico’s electronic invoicing model, together with Brazil’s, has served as a model for many other countries, especially in Latin America. In Europe, Italy is the only country that follows a similar model.

The Dominican Republic consolidates its model with standard 01-2020

In February 2019, the General Directorate of Internal Taxes (DGII) of the Dominican Republic launched an e-invoicing pilot programme with 10 large companies in the country to promote e-invoicing at the B2B level. 

A year later, the DGII published regulation 01-2020, which regulates the issuance and use of electronic tax receipts (e-CF) for the e-invoicing process. With this regulation, the Dominican Republic joins the majority of Latin American countries, which already have a consolidated electronic invoicing system. 

For the time being, the use of e-CF is voluntary. However, many experts predict that the use of electronic invoicing in the country will soon become mandatory. The country has chosen a clearance e-invoicing model, like all its neighbouring countries. 

Currently, any company can communicate with the DGII electronically and issue e-CFs. To do so, companies can either develop and implement their own connection with the DGII or do it through a certified provider, such as Voxel Caribe. 

Voxel Caribe was the first provider certified by the DGII to issue tax receipts. The benefits of becoming an electronic taxpayer through a technological partner are multiple:

• Know-How: having the experience acquired with other companies in the Dominican Republic. 
• Benefit from a robust technology certified by the DGII.
• Having a secure, functional and robust connection process.
• Faster implementation process.

In the Dominican Republic, electronic invoicing is not mandatory in the B2C sector. 

The benefits of electronic invoicing in travel companies

Over the course of a year, travel companies (hotels, bedbanks, TMCs, tour operators, travel agencies, etc.) process hundreds of thousands of invoices corresponding to their customers’ bookings. 

The manual management of all these transactions is a major source of inefficiencies and errors and an impediment to the scalability and competitiveness of companies. That is why digitising and automating the issuing and receipt of invoices, payments and derived processes bring great benefits to companies in the travel sector. 

Some of these benefits are:

• Reduction of manual errors, claims and derived processing costs. 
• Optimisation of reconciliation.
• Increased document control. Traceability of all transactions. Documents are not lost.
• Elimination of physical storage and reduction of paper usage.
• Management of all invoices on a single platform, connected to a network of more than 50,000 hotels and travel companies worldwide.
• The collection cycle is accelerated. 

baVel is the leading B2B ebilling and payment platform for the international travel industry. Over the last 20 years we have contributed to the digital transformation of hundreds of companies in the sector by digitising and automating their back office processes. 

If you want to know how we can contribute to the digital transformation of your company, contact us at info@voxelgroup.net.

La entrada E-invoicing in the main receiving markets in Europe and LATAM se publicó primero en Voxel - Blog.

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