Trends Update
3 trending hotel and hospitality technologies
As we progress further into the digital revolution, the importance of technology becomes ever greater. We’re now at a point where the use (or lack of use) of technology can make or break your hotel. Using technology is not only vital to attracting new customers to your hotel and retaining old faces, it’s also integral in creating a variety of ways to find the current holy grail of the hotel world – personalized engagement.
Millions of pounds and countless hours have been poured into creating a personal, bespoke experience for guests. Gone are the days when guests would be shepherded into their rooms with little or no interaction with the hotel staff. The best hoteliers are now creating a personally catered experience that offers guests suggestions on where to stay, welcome packages once they enter their rooms, engagements on social media and more. The technological era is here, and embracing it is mandatory to your success. Read on to find out what’s hot in hotel and hospitality technologies right now.
Cloud technology
Cloud technology is being used by countless hoteliers around the world to improve the guest experience. By making the cloud part of your hotel technologies arsenal you’ll not only save money (cloud solutions are generally much cheaper than on-site databases), you’ll also be able to gather insights of guests who stayed years ago, with this easy access to data enabling you to create a more personalized guest experience. What’s more, using the cloud will enable you to bring your new properties online quickly and, due to cloud systems being both reliable and safe, you won’t have to worry about losing valuable data.
Mobile penetration
The mobile playing field has grown vastly in recent years. Smartphone bookings are growing year on year in virtually every country, and conveniences such as native apps make your guest’s stay easier than ever. Nobody wants to stand around waiting for hotel keys; why not create an app that allows your guests to enter their rooms using their phones?
While you’re at it, why not use your native app to push promotions and events at your hotel? You can create location-triggered notifications to let your guests know they’re near your luxury spa, or send them suggestions designed to suit them whether they’re a family group on holiday or a bunch of friends travelling together.Future proofing
As you’d expect, another craze sweeping the hotel world is working out how best to future proof. One problem many people experience when on holiday is a lack of coverage on their mobiles, and hotels are likely to view solving this as a top priority in 2018. Another area to focus on is Wi-Fi; although it’s safe to assume that every hotel now has free Wi-Fi for its guests, some only have it in their lounges and lobbies as opposed to all over the complex, meaning that solid Wi-Fi access across your hotel could give you the edge over your competitors. Thinking about what your guests want next and creating solutions in advance is a sure-fire ticket to hotel success.