Clean bedsheets, fresh towels, polite receptionists, and decent room service are the things guests expect to have in every hotel regardless of the number of stars it has. This is because the hospitality industry has always kept the bar high in terms of the quality of services, and technologies have often been an essential part of positive advancements in this field.
Nowadays, guests are not satisfied with typical hotel room facilities such as an HD TV and a stocked minibar. The technological revolution has pushed the expectations of hotel customers with a focus on convenience. According to a survey of Oracle Hospitality amongst hotel guests in the U.S, 64% of guests consider it extremely important for hotels to improve their guest experience by investing in hospitality technology. However, innovations in services provide a competitive advantage for hotels by implementing them, increasing customer satisfaction and retention.
The main goal of hoteliers was to retain guests’ loyalty; it helps to get around competitors and establish trust and long-lasting relationships with customers. As much research has shown, the most important thing is providing an unforgettable experience for travelers. And technology can play an important role in this approach.
In this article, we made an overview of innovative hospitality technology that will wow your visitors and tools that can improve the efficiency of internal processes, thereby increasing revenues.
What Hospitality Technology Next Generation?
The technologies that make up back offices and hotel management systems are made up of different tools and structures. Besides, there are customer-oriented technologies, internal physical devices, and payment systems that need to be integrated.
Without a strict standard for introducing new technologies into the industry, there will be chaos: the introduction of the same technology is different every time, which complicates the integration, and the cost of integration rises sharply. Yes, there is no clear procedure for this process, but on the other hand, the lack of standards makes the introduction of new tools and systems slow and ineffective.
Some smart gadgets for the hospitality industry are as follow:
Voice Recognition
So what is this document about, and how do they plan to use voice technology?
This document aims to provide high-level guidance and set a minimum standard for the implementation of voice technology in hotels, including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri, Alibaba Genie, and Baidu Raven. There are other similar agents from major platforms and independent providers that handle natural language used in hotel rooms.
This framework provides both hoteliers and technology providers with a common language to discuss hotel scoring and ensure that hotel guests and staff have a positive experience with the evolving voice environment.
Remote control tools
These tools allow for the remote management of a hotel room. Guests can easily control digital devices in a room even when they are not there. On top of that, remote control tools let guests and hotel administration create a room environment specifically adjusted to conditions and needs at hand.
Smart mirrors
A smart mirror is a regular mirror and a touchscreen where a guest can check their email and get some relevant information like the weather forecast or surf social media. Guests can see their dashboard by looking in the bathroom mirror while brushing their teeth!
Besides that, smart mirrors may have virtual concierge tools integrated into them, so guests can order some services while enjoying their reflections. This also opens new opportunities for the promotion of mark-up services a smart hotel offers.
Robots
Robots are also a popular way for hotels to go smart and attract a growing number of visitors. And although it’s more about the automation of simple and routine tasks like delivering toiletries to hotel rooms, guests are usually excited to interact with artificial intelligence and are ready to pay good money for such an experience.
Virtual reality
Virtual reality technology can also significantly enrich your smart hotel and make a guest experience unique and memorable. It’s mostly used for entertainment purposes, but, as with robots, the opportunities are limited only by your imagination and the amount of money you’re ready to spend.
The most popular application of virtual reality in hotels is virtual tours which guests can take by watching videos of local attractions via VR headsets. This, of course, cannot replace a real experience, but it helps guests decide which places to visit and which excursions to buy.
Conclusion
In recent years, hotel businesses began to actively introduce technological solutions, such as applications for guests, only to welcome them a little warmer. As the guests say and agree with them, the problem is not in the app, but in its capabilities. Guests want features that are an integral part of the hotel, such as virtual check-in / check-out, keyless access to rooms, and event booking and ticketing. Besides, 73% expressed interest in downloading an app that automatically connects to the hotel’s Wi-Fi.