INDUSTRY WATCH
KEYLESS ENTRY VIA
SMARTPHONE IS THE
FUTURE; MUCH MORE
CONVENIENT THAN USING
A MAGNETIC SWIPE CARD.
T
he problem with technology as
a term in the hospitality industry
is that it’s so ubiquitous that
it becomes difficult to single out what
developments are the most important for
the next five years.
Hoteliers have been cautious of
technology taking away the human
effect from the guest service and
experience. Rapid advances and
disruptive technology is a constant
challenge, where Artificial Intelligence
(AI), wearable technology and Virtual
Reality (VR) will become the norm when it
comes to how potential guests search for
and experience a trip.
The smart ‘hotel of the future’ will have
access to these technologies which can
accelerate service, personalise the guest
experience, build resource allocations
to support guest requests, enable
preventative maintenance and improve
employee productivity. Mobile and keyless
check-in options, mobile key access, digital
in-room controls, virtual reality for booking
and advanced energy conservation
systems will become the norm.
We all know reliable Wi-Fi and IPTV are
now as vital to guests as much as hot
water and clean sheets and these are key
drivers for guests of all ages. But if we
look at the Millennials, with every passing
year their spending power increases,
which means more travel and hotel stays.
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The whole experience right from booking
to checkout is expected to be seamless
and flawless with as little direct human
interaction or contact as possible. Hotel
operators will have to take this into
consideration in the design stages of
their hotels. A fully automated mobile
payment system, via an online payment
gateway using smartphones along with
robust cybersecurity and tokenised
payment methods ensuring complete
security of guest credit card data, is
becoming essential for an excellent guest
experience at the booking stage.
With incorporation of the latest mobility
solutions for the workforce, hotels can
get real-time intelligence for quick
decision making that increases agility,
collaboration and productivity of the
hotel staff which in turn enhances the
overall guest satisfaction.
Artificial intelligence
and hotels
From booking engines to chatbots and
voice command software for room
allocations; this may seem like a scene
right out of a sci-fi movie but is in fact a
reality today.
Customer facing AI robotic concierges and
luggage handlers (already operational
in some Aloft hotels) are getting a lot
of media attention. In Japan, cyborgs
programmed to make eye contact and
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