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INDUSTRY WATCH
Graeme Kane,
Hospitality Business
Development
Manager, Middle
East, Mediterranean
and Africa at Aruba
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.
respond with multilingual ability check
you into hotels. The question here is that
should technology totally replace personal
interactions or should the two co-exist? Digital
assistants like Alexa and Siri lack human
warmth, charm and personal connection
and yet perhaps this is what Millennials want
today. And incorporating technologies like
this is also a cost saving proposition for hotels.
More research needs to be done. But watch
this space closely as it continues to evolve.
82
INTELLIGENTCIO
Location awareness and
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
beacons; creating a ‘home away
from home’ experience
Location-based services opens a world of
delightful use cases. By deploying bluetooth-
enabled IoT beacon sensors along with the
latest location-aware mobility and analytics
innovations throughout the property,
guests can be automatically recognised
and registered as soon as they step
onto the hotel premise, eliminating
the stop at the registration desk and
creating the same experience of walking
in through the door at home. As they
proceed through the lobby, they can
receive an automated update, via the
hotel’s mobile app, on the status of their
room. If the room is being cleaned or
is unavailable for some other reason,
the same technology can offer them a
discount on a snack or free cocktail in the
lounge. When the guests head for their
room, they don’t have to carry with them
a key card. Keyless entry via smartphone
is the future; much more convenient
than using a magnetic swipe card.
A ‘key’ with an encrypted code is sent
via a push notification by the hotel to
the guest’s phone, along with a message
about the room number. The hotel room
door unlocks when the smartphone with
the code is held near it.
Advanced in-room controls are another
technology of the future. The moment
www.intelligentcio.com