Nowadays we cannot imagine a world without Internet or technology. We use it everyday in every possible way. The hotel industry also uses technology to provide more efficiency and effectiveness. Here are some viable technology solutions that can help hotels serve their guests better and personalize the experience:
Wi-Fi
Providing Wi-Fi to the guests is a MUST, it’s not even seen as an advantage anymore since almost every hotel provides Wi-Fi to its guests. If you don’t provide Wi-Fi to your guests you won’t have them for a very long time. Now the challenge is for hotels to make sure that Internet is as fast as the Internet guests use at home. One increasingly common way to do this is to offer broadband speed tiers for different prices.
Mobile
We live in a time when 40% of leisure travelers and 36% of business travelers book overnight accommodations in hotels using their mobile phones. Mobile bookings is going to be more and more, since travelers increasingly book from their mobiles. It is easier and faster to book with just a touch. Hotels should take advantage of this growth to engage with the travelers, especially those who are highly dependent on their smart phone. Hotels that connect with their guests through mobile application can also engage with the guests on a personal level by sharing special offers based on their location, request for special services, access to view maps, or connect with the hotel’s social media channels.
Tablets
A recent survey found that more than 1 billion people worldwide used tablets in 2015, representing nearly 15% of the global population and more than double the number of three years ago. By 2018, the number of tablet users in the world will reach 1.43 billion. So it’s better for the hotels to start to consider providing tablets to enhance the guest experience and use it for multiple marketing purposes.
Tables are a good way to check your guests in/out and take their quick feedback. Also tablets can make your reception go mobile so your staff is not confined the desk’s borders anymore by making all the experience more welcoming for your guests. Reception provides this technology.
Nowadays, after Wi-Fi, tables are expected to be provided in the hotel rooms. Understanding their demands many luxurious hotels have started investing in tablets and are installing some apps to give their guests the opportunity to control the room’s lights, air conditioner, TV and more.
Another place where tablets can be used are bar/restaurants since it will be easier for the guests to go through menus and packages. It is also easier for the waiters. Cashier is an application that makes possible to better manage a hotel’s restaurant or bar.
Self check-in
Self check-in technology can provide convenience to the guest while also easing the burden on the front desk staff. This technology allows guests to check-in via tablets or phones using a QR code that captures their expected time of arrival and sends the notification to the hotel. Self check-in technology also speeds the process and eliminates errors too. The hotels can also check-out the guests by using technology like a mobile optimized hotel software.
Robots and infrared sensors
Some luxurious hotels are already offering room delivery with robots. In some hotels robots deliver towels to their guests in the pool. In some other hotels robots get around by taking the elevator and can call the guests phone to alert when there is a delivery. The Yotel Hotel in New York has a robot, named the Yobot, that will safely store the luggage in one of its 150 bins. These types of digital systems not only make it easy for hotel staff to deliver items to guests, but it also offers a forward-facing digital experience to people who stay at the hotel.
Also instead of hanging a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on doors or having cleaning staff wake up the guests with knocks and phone calls, the hotel staff can take a more innovative approach by using infrared scanners. The scanners will detect body heat within a room and tell cleaning staff that they should come back later if the room is currently occupied.
There are also rooms that come with smart climate control settings so that it can adjusts to the perfect temperature by itself over time. There are also smart mini bars that will alert the front desk when it needs re-stocking.
Door opening technology
This technology is similar to the self check-in technology where guests receive a code on their mobile app through which they get control to their room door. OpenWays introduced this technology that uses a Crypto Acoustic Credential system for electronic access control in hotels.
The system can also be activated on a guest’s handset without him paying a visit to the reception. Hotels will increasingly install smart room access systems that allow guests to unlock their doors by simply swiping their phones across a keyless pad on the door.
Cloud services
Hotels want to offer digital content, but this doesn’t mean they necessarily want to invest in IT infrastructure and IT staff, thus making cloud computing the ideal solution. This gives hotels the flexibility to expand and adjust their IT needs along with business growth and it removes the administrative burden of managing an IT system in-house. Nowadays clod-computing is becoming a trend and more hotels are moving toward it, so lowering spendings in IT infrastructure.
Live chat
Although providing live chat may be expensive for the hotel, it helps in increasing sales while providing a convenient platform for interaction. While booking, people prefer website that provide a live chat and that that can immediately attend to their queries. This also helps eliminate website bounce rates as the live chat assists guests through every stage until they complete their action. Following the guests in every step will make them feel valued and will make them come again.
