Hospitality industry, its safe to say, has now fully acknowledged the fact that technology is essential for improving the quality of service in a hotel. The industry, specially in the aftermath of pandemic, has rapidly adapted technologies to provide incredible service to the guests. And now the technology has become an essential requirement for providing the best guest experience, what started as a makeshift solution has now become a norm and every guest expects to be provided with certain technology-based services such as mobile room keys, contactless payment etc.
With technology sector in general undergoing rapid developments, hospitality industry is also gradually incorporating more and more technologies in everyday operations and guest experience. While many of these technologies are already become an integral part of the service, some are being tried out in test phases and many others are soon going to become available for guests in the hotels.
Here are some exciting technologies that the guests should be looking forward to seeing in hotels and resorts in this year:
VOICE ASSISTANTS / TOUCHLESS SERVICES:
Voice recognition technology has evolved tremendously in the past few years and the voice recognition-based gadgets have now become common household items such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Samsung’s Bixby. This makes the deployment of these services in the hospitality industry as the next logical step in enhancement of guest experience. Voice controlled rooms allow guests to avoid frequently touched objects such as light switches and thermostats etc. Also, availability of voice-based services will provide guests with more of a home-like feeling.
SELF – SERVICE BRACELETS:
Self – service wristbands are RFID or Bluetooth based bracelets that guests can use to access their rooms or other amenities. They can also be used for payment of foods and beverages. This is perfect for resorts, as they have facilities spread over a large area. Big resorts such as Disneyland have already deployed this technology, but smaller resorts and hotels can also utilize this technology for a better guest experience.
AI BASED DIGITAL CONCIERGES & CHATBOTS:
With swift progression in AI technology, many AI bases products are becoming available in markets. Hospitality industry has also been fiddling with these services in last few years. In 2022 we can expect some of these refined products to be available in many hotels. Digital Concierge is one such innovation that can redefine guest experience in a hotel, digital concierge can be incorporated into digital signage or room devices and can provide required information to the guests without guest having to contact the front desk.
Similarly, AI based chatbots can be integrated into hotel websites. These chatbots can not only guide potential guests in booking the room but can assist the guest in case of any query from the time to booking to the time of checking in. Also, these chatbots can be really useful in upselling the services.
FACIAL RECOGNITION:
Seamless check-ins are a popular guest demand in hospitality industry, this is where facial recognition technology comes into play. Facial recognition enables frequent guests to have their profile available with the hotel in advance, and upon arrival they can utilize self service check-ins. This can reduce the check-in time to as low as 2 minutes.
5G / WIFI 6 CONNECTIVITY:
The internet speeds are getting faster every day, making it in truth “High Speed” internet. With the advent of 5G internet speeds are touching new highs. 2022 can see 5G be used in hotels, providing guests with super-fast internet services. Along with this, the newest standard in Wi-Fi namely Wi-Fi 6 is suitable for areas with high density of connected devices and congested network traffic making it ideal for hotels and resorts. Stable connectivity and 5G is one of the key factors in hotels attaining and maintain their 5-star ratings, therefore 5G and Wi-Fi 6 can become the new norms in hospitality industry.
VR AND AR:
Virtual Reality (VR) is the technology that creates digital environment for users to explore, Hotels are using VR to provide immersive and 360 videos on their website to attract potential customers. VR can provide ultimate user experience before booking of the hotels, as it provides most accurate digital recreation of the property.
Augmented Reality (AR) provides guests with useful information that be displayed to their smart devices while moving around the property, it also helps guest to customize their room view such as changing the view on wall to a landscape.
CUSTOMIZED GUEST EXPERIENCE:
Data has become a very important commodity in today’s world, and the hospitality industry is no exception. The use of data can enable hotels to create guests’ experience profile, which can be used to provide customized guest experience whenever the guest revisits at the same property or any property of the hotel. This creates a very personalized experience for the guest and goes a long way in increasing guest satisfaction.
CONCLUSION:
With the application of technology to enhance guest experience at the fore in the hospitality industry and technology advancing at a rapid pace, we can expect to see a lot of innovative and creative services in the hospitality industry in the near future, some of it as early as this year. These are exciting times for technology enthusiasts in the hospitality industry, and the guest experience is going to be completely overhauled by technology.
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