5 hotel technology trends to watch
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Hotel TechTrends to
5Watch
Digital Age
changed guest'sexpectations
The rise of the
has drastically
Welcome to the future
of hotels
Better, Faster& Free WiFi
1
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40% of guests travel with 3or more deviecs
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The average speed of a residential broadband connectionis 5.1 MbpsMost 150 room hotels provide a standard 10 MbpsThis would only deliver 1.4 Mbps per guest or just afraction of what guests are accustomed to at home!
WiFi
34% of travelers say free WiFi is a topfactor in their hotel choice
1 in 3 guests will not return to a hotelwith poor WiFi
88% of hotel guests expect freeWiFi
What do guests want?
The Golden Rules of Hotel WiFi
WiFi should be free, forevery guest, every time. Always.
Don't restrict the number of devices aguest can connect to the WiFi network
WiFi broadband connection shouldbe at least 5.1 Mbps/guest
2More
AutomatedServices
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Some hotels are giving guests the option to order roomservice using their smartphone.
Guests never have to pick up the phone and can order roomservice with the touch of a button in hotel branded apps orusing online ordering
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Other hotels now offer avirtual concierge
Guests can book restaurantreservations, spa treatments,and activities through thehotel website
As well as an online lost andfound.
Guests fill out an online formand the hotel staff looks for amatch
Hilton Hotels allows guests to purchase upgrades,make special amenity requests, even choose theirexact room from a digital floor plan - all from their
mobile devices.
A survey conducted by Hilton revealed that 84%of travelers want to be able to choose their ownroom.
Another survey found that when offered, 85% ofguests use online service requests for roomservice to housekeeping.
Image courtesy ofTechCrunch
Starwood Hotels now usesRobot Butlers in theirCupertino Aloft Hotel
When guests call downwith a request, hotelemployees load the robotwith the requested item
Once the item isdelivered, guests canenter in a rating on therobot's touchscreen
3Smartphone roomkeys
andMobile Check-in & Out
91% of guests said they hadused automated check-in orwould use automated check-
in if it were offered
Both Marriott Hotels and Hilton Hotels plan tohave mobile check-in available at over 4,000locations by the end of 2014
Currently Marriott Hotels offers mobile check-in at 1,200 locations
Hilton plans to make smartphone room keys available atthe majority of Hilton locations by the end of 2016.
Travelers can already use their smartphones as boardingpasses for flights - it's only natural they will want to usethem as a way to enter their hotel rooms.
Hotels like Hub by Premier Inn areusing smartphones as remote controlsfor the television, window blinds,music system, and temperaturecontrol.
Hub's smartphone app also makesinstant suggestions on where to go inthe area.
4Bring Your Own
Content
Pay-Per-View TV is Dying
Hotel pay-per-viewrevenues dropped 39%
from 2000 - 2009
Today's digital travelersconsume entertainment
in hotels in the same waythey do at home: viaonline services like
Amazon Prime, Hulu,iTunes and Netflix.
Turn TV's in hubs formore cohesive
entertainment systemsthat work seamlessly
with guests' owndevices and streaming
services
Idea:
In Hong Kong, The Peninsula recently installed in-roomentertainment systems that cost between $10,000 -$25,000 per room!
Around the world, Hyatt Hotels offers it's plug panel, whichlets guests connect almost any device to in-room TV's
Social5
Integration
According to a recent Gallup survey, 72% of U.S.adults use social media, with the majority sayingthey use social networking sites several times aday.
Additionally...
An ACCENT research survey found thatnearly 65% of participants found ithelpful to post questions on a brand'ssocial media channels and receiveanswers from fellow consumers.
Other Relevant Stats:
71% of consumers said "Seeinga response to a review onsocial media is important tome."
79% of consumers said "Aresponse to a bad review onsocial media reassures me."
68% of consumers said "If I wasconsidering two comparableproperties, the presence ofsocial media responses wouldsway me in it's favor."
Implications for Hotels: Use social media to welcome guests; If a guestschecks-in on social media or mentions your hotelin a tweet, reply back and welcome them.
Start a 24-hour live Twitter Concierge; Hyatt'sE-Concierge is a 24-hour concierge whereguests can instantly personalize their stay
Offer rewards to guests who are very active withyour hotel on social media
Always respond to social media posts
Creatively engage: A woman tweets that she justbecame engaged at your hotel? Send a bottle ofchampange to her room.
Mobile messaging for modern businesses. Voxer combines the power of live voice with text
and photos on any smart device on any network.
Find out why hotels choose Voxerfor their staff communication.
www.voxer.com
Learn More