Every year there is a change in the way we do business as with the growing and emerging changes in either the demands of the consumers or in the environment or economy. One most important factor which contributes a lot to any business of today is the evolving changes in technology and its applicability in the daily operations. As we all know that technology is an enabler and it helps us to establish an effective communication with our customer thereby contributing to driving our businesses to greater heights. When it comes to the Hotel industry technology has started playing the role of a major game changer and it’s important to find out what are some of the most emerging trends related to this industry that will contribute a lot in providing that unique and utilitarian experience to our guests which will also help us create a much stronger and longer lasting relationship.
Technology and its implementations have been snail-paced in the way it was used in the hotel industry with no major changes, but the time has come where the trends have already picked up. Hotels are in the people business and one of the only primary objectives of this industry is to cater to the requirements of the customers to provide them the best services at any point of time. Delivering the ultimate in hospitality and service is the primary focus and today technology plays a major role in facilitating just that. What we do need to know is if there are any innovations being developed by technology in keeping up and delivering the promises of a better hospitality industry. One of the challenges in this industry is its dynamic nature as it has to listen and understand the requirements of diverse customers who have different preferences and it’s important for hotels to concentrate more on delivering customized services. This diverse range of guest expectations has spawned a fascinating scenario for companies in developing state of the art technology which is the current driving factor to take the industry beyond.
Let’s take a look at the various technologies that will have a major impact on the hotel industry in the year 2017 and the years to come.
- Service based technology: Technology needs to be flexible to meet the kind of diverse types of guests and their requirements. As technology acts as an enabler to the services it has to adapt likewise and facilitate the smooth deliverance of services to the customers. Now a day’s guests are not interested in spending their time walking towards to front desk and wait in lines for the checking process to happen. They want themselves to be checked in even before they arrive at the hotels as they just can walk into their respective rooms. This is facilitated by today’s Smartphone’s where guests are been given technology in their hands in the form of smart mobile apps as their digital keys to their rooms. Such service based technologies are going to be the must-have in 2017 and the years to come. This is the next frontier and it will soon be seen that front desks will disappear from many hotels.
- Wireless Technology: It’s 3G, 4G and going to 5G may be somewhere in 2018 and that’s the speed at which technology is progressing. With high speeds of internet connectivity’s and a paradigm shift of infrastructure to the cloud, this is surely going to have an enormous effect on the hotel industry. Gone are those days where Wi-Fi was treated as an added feature for many hotels and was promptly advertised in the hotel premises. Today having a Wi-Fi facility is something which is expected by your guests and without it, your premise will be lacking with something which is very basic nature. Every hotel will be equipped with high speeds of internet availability not only for their guests but for their normal operations as everything would be well connected via the internet.
- Social Listening: It’s the world of social networks and what more a channel do you need that helps in amplifying what you need to communicate with your audiences. Today a large segment of the population are present almost a good amount of time on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Companies have started to understand the power of this medium which has become a very credible listening platform. This social influence platform has made companies to develop hotel industry technology that would listen to what consumers have to say about the services offered cater to their requirements via their reviews. It also helps the industry to gain knowledge about the trends and what is popular amongst the broader guest’s audiences. The hotel industry should be able to leverage this data to deliver better services to their guests.
- Cloud Technology : The hotel industry is going through a serious transformation as it has started moving beyond reactive service. Today it wants to deliver a real time and more personalized experience to its guests. This is possible only via the data they gather through various channels cloud technology is going to be major factors in helping them achieve it. Not only that the cost of setting up technology and infrastructure is a major financial concern and that’s why cloud technology can be used to bring down costs yet deliver the best productive tools.
- Conserving Energy: Eco-consciousness has become a pivotal norm in the Hotel Industry and more and more emphasis is put on ensuring hotels and hotel companies are being more energy conscious. What it really is trying to do is to give the guest and hotel management controls of things like room lighting, water consumption and temperature via innovative and technologically enhanced tools and methods.
- Loyalty Programs: Loyalty programs are offered by many hotels and companies as it creates a sense of privilege for the guests who will surely make them come back to your premises. Hotels need to look at new software technologies that will help their guests avail the rewards programs available which will thereby help them increase loyalist in a more authentic manner.
There are various other detailed technological trends that surely need to be considered but we have just enlisted a macro view of it. Having said that its time for all in the Hotel Industry to do the apt research and find out the best technological deployments available and which is current to provide the most valuable hospitality services to their guests.
