ABSTRACT
This chapter unpacks the nature, characteristics, and promise of digital business. It explains the imperative for hospitality organizations to become digital businesses. The chapter discusses digital business transformation and the challenges and risks associated with the journey to becoming a digital business. It also discusses the implications for hospitality managers – that is, the unique roles they can play in accelerating and enhancing the success rate of digital business transformation efforts. Digital business has also been described as a journey or process of change. Organizations that undertake the journey to become digital businesses and compete as digital businesses open themselves up to a range of benefits. Successful digital transformation is the barrier between the existential threats of disruption and the promise or benefits of being a digital business. Hospitality and leisure managers are a vital link between the top management team and frontline employees.
