Better technology leads to better business. Source: ezeeabsolute
7 Hotel Technology Trends You Need To Know
Technology upgrades are quite normal in the modern world. With every minute passed, there are new technologies being developed and the older ones getting obsolete.
Because of the pandemic, technology has come as a disruption for almost every industry. But for the hospitality industry, it has left a huge mark. Hospitality industry, being the most affected, also has to adapt to the latest technologies in order to stay ahead and provide the best experience for its consumers.
Here is a list of top 7 latest hotel technology trends which are trending in the hospitality industry.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
AI and Machine Learning is one of the most common technologies that hotels are getting their hands on. The advantages are huge. AI has been in talks for a long time and since the pandemic, has become a reality. AI provides the best opportunity to enhance customer service, customer experience and retention. ML is the best medium to learn and act based on past experiences and improve operational efficiency to fulfill customer preferences cost effectively. AI and ML can be used in virtual assistance, lodging services, operations management and staff assistance.
Hilton’s AI based Concierge Connie. Source: 3DNews.
For example, Hilton Worldwide Hotel is using AI based concierge Connie which is transforming the guest experience by assisting arriving hotel guests at the front desk.
Robotics and Automation
Use of robots can lead to improvements in terms of speed, cost effectiveness and accuracy. Chatbots allow any hotel to provide 24/7 support through instant messaging services, even when staff would be unavailable. This is one of the main reasons to use robots so that they can take over mundane tasks and avoid any kind of mistakes. Robots can also be used in the check in process, speeding it up and reducing congestion.
Henna na Hotel is said to be the first hotel in Japan where robots work as staff and serve guests. The robotic porters carry guest’s luggage to their rooms and store it in private lockers.
Robot-staffed Henna na Hotel in Japan. Source: The Guardian
Smart Rooms
Smart rooms are the ones with the smart technology. The reason why smart rooms are getting popular is because of the convenience it can provide to customers improving the guest experience. Smart rooms also make a hotel stand out and reduce the cost of running a hotel.
They offer a great level of personalization with quick and easy ways of adjusting the requirements such as room temperature, lightning level, lights and heating. A smart room can assist guests in answering various queries related to room service or any information. Smart rooms can also reduce costs and save energy by automating the use of room equipment.
The concept of Smart room. Source: ResearchGate
Internet of things (IoT)
IoT has been in talks for a long time and now it has come to practical applications in many industries. When it comes to the hospitality industry, it is used for enhanced guest experience and optimized expense by connecting digital devices and machines through the internet.
IoT can help enhance guest experiences by customizing services and being accessible to the guests. IoT can help guests by automating room services, conserving energy, and access to different features through voice and text. It also helps hotels in lesser disruption at work, front desk management, guest data collection and higher satisfaction. For example, Le Meridian Goa, Calangute has built an IoT enabled hotel that reduces energy consumption. With no human intervention, IoT helps automate different functions which leads to reduced costs of manpower.
IoT helped Le Meridien Goa serve their diverse clientele efficiently. Source: Schneider electric
AR and VR
Virtual Reality allows you to interact with a 3D world which isn’t real but created with the computer. Whereas, Augmented Reality adds graphics or information to the real environment that is seen on phone or tablet. Hotels can use AR and VR to improve guest experience and guest engagement. Hotels can use AR and VR for virtual booking, virtual hotel tours and virtual travel experiences.
For example, Hilton hotels began to invest in VR technology to help develop a cutting edge experience for their employees. The Palm in Dubai, situated on the Palm Jumeirah has created an amazing 360 panoramic VR video. The video provides a tour of the hotel highlighting its key features.
A snapshot of the Palm from VR video. Source: YouTube
Cybersecurity
As the number of people using the internet rises everyday, the data stored on the internet also rises. When it comes to the hospitality industry, processes being online there is a huge risk of theft of data. Privacy and security has become a huge challenge today.
There is a huge risk based on the fact that almost all kinds of information is available online starting from personal information to credit card details. Information leaks lead to a negative effect on business.
A hotel needs to train its staff to protect themselves against cyberattacks. For example, safe check-ins are important to ensure trust till the end of the stay. That would mean storing the data safely without it getting leaked.
Cybersecurity concerns are growing in the hospitality industry. Source: Perry group
Cloud Service
There is lots of data flowing everyday at hotels. Storing at can be a little complicated based on requirement. Cloud services can help store huge data helping small hotels to save a lot.
Services like SaaS, PaaS and IaaS can help hotels bring down costs like energy, hardware and operations. It leads to cost cutting and higher productivity. A cloud service can help employees in management and provide the best guest experience.
Cloud computing in the hospitality industry. Source: SOEG
Conclusion
In the end, the ultimate goal of the Hospitality Industry is to achieve guest satisfaction. Using technology and automation leads to improving their services constantly. Technology can help where humans cannot. The aim of technology is to help humans and not to replace them.
So, adopting the latest technology has become a mandatory part of growing as the more updated you are, the more you are likely to be the top player. Click here to know more about the recent hotel management changes.
Written by AirHost Marketing Team