The hotel industry is projected to have a market volume of some USD $508 billion by 2028. However, with more than 187,000 hotels worldwide and the financial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic still being felt by many in the hotel industry, the competition has never been tougher.
To maximize their resources, it is crucial for hoteliers to think beyond the current landscape and start incorporating innovative strategies to stand out from the crowd. This is where hotel technology solutions come in.
1. Property Management Systems
It is safe to say that any hotel’s central nervous system is its property management system. Without it, chaos ensues. Modern property management systems have the advantage of integrating various third-party systems, including reservation platforms and payment processors. This ensures that your PMS is truly a one-stop shop.
Modern property management systems take things beyond the front desk and incorporate every single aspect of hotel management. Automated processes can include everything from housekeeping and repairs, to accounts and room occupancy management. By automating these routine tasks, hotel staff can free up their time and focus on taking the hotel to the next level.
Another key feature is the system’s communication features. This allows hotel staff to communicate and share important information without having to necessarily be in the same location.
For instance, housekeepers can directly check guests’ requests and update room statuses when they finish cleaning a room. This real-time communication not only fosters communication between the team, but also minimizes errors and misunderstandings.
2. Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR)
Virtual reality and augmented reality have emerged as game-changers for many industries. The hotel industry is no exception. Forward-thinking hoteliers are investing in VR and AR to gamify the hotel experience and entice guests to choose their hotel over all the others in the area.
With VR, potential guests can experience the rooms and amenities—and even local attractions—without ever setting foot in the hotel. This not only showcases all the hotel has to offer, but also reassures potential guests that booking a stay at your hotel is the right decision.
Once the guests are within hotel premises, augmented reality can elevate their stay and experience. By using your hotel’s AR app, guests can navigate the hotel, access interactive guides to learn more about local points of interest, read the hotel restaurants’ menus in their own languages—even virtually re-decorate their hotel room.
3. Biometric Authentication
Biometric authentication is quickly becoming an integral part of the hotel industry. A big chunk of a hotel’s resources go toward security. Biometric authentication creates a fast, effective and cheaper way to ensure both hotel and guest security.
By linking a guest’s ID to his or her’s fingerprint or photo, this hotel technology can identify guests before they even arrive and verify their identity.
One of the most widely adopted biometric authentication methods is fingerprint recognition. Guests can check in and access elevators, rooms and designated guest areas simply by verifying their fingerprints. This not only eliminates the use of key cards, but also ensures that only authorized staff enter certain areas, boosting hotel security.
Biometric authentication is also becoming more widely accepted. According to research from Oracle, 62% of consumers said their hotel experience would be greatly improved with biometric authentication technology. Forty-one percent even stated they would visit and stay at hotels more frequently if they offered this type of security.
4. Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of interconnected devices linked to the internet that can all collect data and exchange information. The IoT has found a robust use case in the hotel industry, transforming forward-looking establishments into smart hotels.
What makes IoT technology interesting, especially as a hotel technology, is its ability to create a hyper-personalized guest experience. Guests can monitor and control various aspects of their experience, including room access, temperature, lighting and music, elevator access and check-in. This personalized experience turns the hotel into a home-away-from-home, increasing the likelihood that the guest will book another stay at your hotel.
Moreover, IoT provides staff with real-time information about the operating status of all the devices and appliances in the hotel. It can even alert the right member of staff when a device is not working correctly and needs to be looked at.
All this not only contributes to a better guest experience, but also greatly improves the day-to-day hotel operations by preventing issues before they escalate.
5. Artificial Intelligence
The ubiquity of artificial Intelligence is permeating the hotel industry. AI, especially in the form of chatbots or virtual assistants, has become a key part of the hotel toolkit.
By handling repeat queries and simple bookings, AI can relieve the customer service team from having to answer basic inquiries and help them focus only on the complex ones.
In addition to virtual assistants, AI is revolutionizing the way the hotel industry analyzes data. By analyzing large amounts of data and trends, AI can hyper-personalize brand messages and offerings for potential guests. For example, AI can recognize that a particular guest meets the criteria of an engaged shopper and propose add-ons to their reservation.
Moreover, AI can adjust prices based on demand fluctuations and streamline routine administrative tasks. Not only that, but also through AI-generated reports, hoteliers and managers can gain important insights into key metrics, such as guest satisfaction scores, occupancy rates and competitor pricing.
This eliminates the guesswork and helps them make informed decisions about their operational, marketing and financial strategies.
6. Robotics
Robotics has made its way out of the sci-fi realm and into the hotel industry. Although it is still not as widely adopted as some of the other hotel technology solutions, robotics is rapidly becoming the solution of the very near future.
Some hotels already use robots to deliver room service directly to their guests. An early adopter was IHG’s Crowne Plaza brand, which started using Dash The Robot in 2015 to make speedy deliveries to hotel guests.
Guests and hotel staff members can call Dash using WiFi. It can also monitor its own power usage and return to its charging point when it needs to be recharged. Service robots like Dash are equipped with specialized navigation systems, allowing them to effortlessly navigate elevators, hallways and hotel rooms.
Robots are also being used as part of the hotel concierge service. Stationed in hotel lobbies, these concierge robots can provide guests with information about the hotel and local area, and even assist with checking in guests.
Early adopter Hilton partnered with IBM to create Connie, the robot concierge at their McLean hotel in Virginia. Connie helps guests navigate the hotel, as well as find nearby restaurants and other amenities.
A Tech-Driven Future
Hotels undoubtedly operate in a business landscape defined by constant internal changes, unpredictable external factors and tough competitions. To stay competitive and relevant, hoteliers need to embrace the hotel technology solutions that are rapidly changing the game.
The key lies in strategically adopting the solutions that work best for your hotel and circumstance. By doing so, you will not only elevate the guest and employee experience, but also future-proof your hotel and ensure it is a leader in the next era of the hotel industry.
Lucy Cromwell is a UK-based property management specialist. She writes frequently on the intersection of technology and the hospitality industry.
