Are ‘smart’ hotels future of the industry?

Every hotel operator, who wants to remain competitive and relevant in this day and age of technological revolution, regardless of the size or type of property, will have to embrace devices powered by Internet of Things and related wireless innovations by next year to enhance guest experiences.

The problem with technology as a term in hospitality lies in its ubiquitousness so much so that it becomes difficult to single out the most important developments 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 at an age where Artificial Intelligence (AI), wearable technology and Virtual Reality (VR) will soon become the norm. The smart ‘hotel of the future’ will have access to these technologies which can accelerate service, personalise guest experience and build resource allocations to support guest requests, enable preventative maintenance and improve employee productivity.

Technology and Millennials
We all know reliable WiFi and IPTV are now as vital to guests as much as hot water and clean sheets. But with millennials, the spending power increases with every passing year, which means more travel and hotel stays. The entire experience right from booking to checkout is expected to be seamless with as little direct human interaction 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 cyber security and tokenised payment methods ensuring complete security of guest credit card data, is becoming essential for an excellent guest experience at the booking stage.

AI 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. Customers 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 respond with multilingual ability check you into hotels.
The question here is that should technology totally replace personal interactions or should the two coexist? Digital assistants like Alexa and Siri lack human warmth, charm and personal connection, and yet perhaps this is what millennials want today.

Location Awareness & BLE Beacons
Location-based services opens a world of delightful experiences. By deploying Bluetooth-enabled IoT Beacon sensors along with the latest location-aware mobility throughout the property, guests can be automatically recognised as soon as they step into the hotel premise. As they proceed through the lobby, they can receive an automated update, via the hotel’s mobile app on the status of their room. Keyless entry via smartphone is the future. 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 the guest enters the room, sensors turn the lights and the air conditioning on. Once in the room, the hotel’s IoT-enabled and location-aware infrastructure will work in other ways. Property owners can deploy navigation features within the hotel’s mobile app to guide guests to food and beverage and all amenities in the property as an option, again using BLE beacons.

Asset Tags
Luggage cart delay is often the case of guest frustration. Cost-effective asset tracking technologies via asset tags added to a locationbased solution can enable hotel staff or even guests to locate carts for quick retrieval on the hotel’s mobile app. Another use case could be that the asset tag is used to track how long an asset remains stationary, for example in a guest room, and then alert staff so that they can take action like calling the guest to find out whether he/ she has finished. The hospitality industry surely has an exciting future, given the continuous evolution of technology.

(The views expressed are solely of the author. The publication may or may not subscribe to the same.)