Poe, Toni. (2007). See-and-Touch The Future. Hospitality Upgrade Magazine, 182.
9/16/2007.
http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_files/File_Articles/HUSum07_SeeandTouchtheFuture_Poe.pdf
This article described the new technologies in a hotel guest room. It discussed the different kind of things general managers should be looking for. The author describes it as, "The clearer the crystal ball, the better the organization's ability to anticipate guest needs and have the right resources to meet those needs." However, we all know there is no crystal ball but there is several technologies that help us "predict the future." The main issue in the article is the personalized nature the guest are beginning to expect as they travel. In the article it describes the homes where people walk in and the temperature adjusts to their liking and the shade from the sun is blocked out just to their liking. The goal is to make regular hotel stays for business travelers that specific. For example, personalization could even extend to display pictures of the families as an art in the room. It also describes how technology needs to continue to advance for the business traveler. One example the article gave was the RoundTable (tm) which as a 360 degree camera to help with video conferences. It also talks about the "smart" camera that will change direction and focus on whomever is talking at the moment. The article wanted to stress the fact that it is so important to enhance the guests experience to keep them coming back for more. By upgrading technologies needed by the business traveler and creating all the comforts usually needed of home for the leisure guests is extremely important. One important term used was the adhere to the daily lives of guests.
Reflection:
I definitely agree with this article about how important it is to keep ahead of the changing technologies and preferences of your guests. It also however depends on the hotel. For example the hotel I am currently working in is called the Inn at Montchanin Village. This Inn is marketed to the older traveler who are just looking for a nice intimate place to stay and get away. They are not in need of the new wireless internet and automatic changing temperature of the thermostat. That kind of guest would almost prefer not to be confused by all that extra stuff. In contrast to other hotels where they would benefit very much so by these new and intricate technologies. I think by discussing the fact that it should model the daily lives of the guests is a very excellent way to put it. When a guest is staying at a hotel especially for business travel they need use of lap tops, internet, cell phones, and conference room technology. If you could not do those things why would you stay with that hotel. By enhancing the guests experience by the time they use the kiosk at check-in to the fingerprint unlock at their room and the quick and easy paperless check out it makes all the difference. Technologies will continue to advance and staying updated will definitely keep your hotel on the map for business and leisure travelers everywhere.
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4 comments:
I think that the trend of putting stress on personalization in hotels is the most popular one. It's become a necessity for hotels to upgrade their amenities to meet the demands of customers' expectations. I thought it was interesting when you mentioned the fingerprint reader on the locks. That device would be great for people like my dad who constantly lose their room keys!
Customization is certainly not considered one of the newest trends in the industry anymore. It has now become an expected component of the guests’ stay. People have started to become familiarized with the concepts behind the upgrades in technology and the advancing hospitality innovations. We are a society driven by the internet and advancing technologies and if a hotel is not going to associate itself through these improvements, they are going to fall so far behind all the other hotels that are “running” with the changes. I definitely agree with the article’s statement that there needs to more advancement and specialization in the business travelers segment of the hotel because technology has now allowed for work to be done 24/7 whether on vacation or not. Hotels should focus on customizing these features as well so that everyone can be satisfied and all needs can be met. I also agree with what Heather was saying about the hotel needing to know its market and what kinds of technology it can get away with. If a hotel wants to incorporate some of the top technology trends I think it would behoove them to “hide” the evidence of its use. For example, a historic-centered hotel should not have self service kiosks or top conferencing center technology. Hotels need to be smart about their investments and make sure that are still getting a good ROI.
While I do agree that personalization has been around for awhile, I feel that now hotels are bringing it to a new level. I was most surprised from the fact that customization may come down to pictures of families in the guest rooms. With new technology there are more ways of saving every single aspect of the guests stay, registering through the computer what the guest does in the guest room, what they order, what tempterature they like, so the guest can feel really at home. No matter what, you still have to wow the guest and you have to find different and new ways of doing it.
This article summary is very interesting. I completely agree with the article when it explains how important it is to personalize the guest’s experience. When a hotel is able to personalize an experience it creates brand loyalty. The new technologies that are becoming available are amazing products that are able to exceed the guest’s expectations. I would be impressed if I went into a hotel room and the temperature changed to the temperature that I was normally used to. I think that in order for a hotel to survive during this time they must incorporate these new technologies that offer a more personalized experience for the guests.
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