What is Hotel Technology?
Hotel technology is a broad term covering the systems, tools and solutions which enable hotels to operate smoothly, deliver an exceptional guest experience, meet sustainability standards and achieve business and operational goals.
Why is Hotel Technology Important?
Hotel technology is fundamental to improving the guest experience, saving time, lowering costs and cutting the hotel’s carbon footprint. With the digital community raising expectations for a superior hotel experience, hotels underpinning their services with hotel technology can deliver on guest expectations for connectivity, intuitive control and a personalized, seamless experience. This heightened level of customer experience is hard to compete with for those hotels offering a more generic service. In addition, solutions such as automated systems involving people sensors can quickly generate cost savings, improve operational efficiency and help meet sustainability goals.
Hotel technology helps hotels leverage their resources to deliver an outstanding guest experience which helps retain loyal clients, attract new guests and cater for existing customers. Hotel technology, once the purview of a few exclusive resorts is fast becoming a hygiene factor for guests.
Key Hotel Technology Focus Points:
We are seeing the following key focus points within the hotel technology sector:
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Smart Seamless Experience
The ultimate goal is to provide guests with an outstanding, customized experience. This not only helps reinforce brand identity but spurs recommendations and repeat custom. Solutions such at Lutron’s myRoom allow for automated check-in services, where the room comes ‘alive’ once the guest has checked in. This ensures the window treatments, lighting and HVAC are set to the perfect levels by the time the guests arrive at their room. For repeat clients this can even include their preferred ambient settings. Scene setting options help guests set up their rooms quickly and easily. The technology can also make it easier for hotels to group rooms to become large suites, offering additional flexibility for families or larger groups. The technology for the rooms can be synched so the rooms work as one large apartment-style suite rather than individual guest rooms.
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Sustainability
Issues like sustainability are high on the agenda for clients and hotels alike. Hotel technology can help hotels reduce energy usage by ensuring resources are managed efficiently and by using a combination of occupancy sensors and automation. Occupancy sensors use motion or thermal sensors rather than cameras, to detect when a person is in the room. When combined with data from the key card, a room’s occupancy can be accurately assessed. At check-out, or when the room is deemed unoccupied, the window treatments can be set to close to prevent sun damage, the temperature reduced to save on energy expenditure and even water-saving measures can be implemented. This is a great way to reduce both costs and the carbon footprint of the hotel, while offering additional appeal to environmentally conscious guests.
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Cyber Security
With hotels handling a lot of data, they are at risk of encountering cyber-attacks. As a result, most solutions which fall into the hotel technology category have layers of security built in, but it is important to have separate guest networks in place. This prevents hotel guests connecting to the same network as the one hotel staff use daily, which reduces hacking.
Solutions such as the Domotz box can offer around the clock, online monitoring capabilities within the systems which can also help detect anomalies and potential security issues.
In addition, having cyber-security tools, training and the right cyber-security protocols in place is also paramount.
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Operations
The most popular hotel technology platforms, sync perfectly with existing reservation platforms to enhance functionality, streamline control and extend monitoring capabilities.
The overall solution controls reservations, revenue management, front-office operations, and housekeeping, while offering analytic and monitoring opportunities. It makes it easier for management to allocate staff and resources more efficiently, manage the property more easily and ultimately deliver a more robust back of house process. This in turn helps staff provide outstanding customer service to guests.
- Personalisation
Smart displays are an important feature. Guests now expect to be able to log in to their own Netflix and other streaming accounts for a more personalized and comfortable in-room experience.
Help Navigating Hotel Technology Solutions
Do you have a project in the pipeline and would like to know more about the various hotel technology solutions available? We can help. Our team are up to speed with all the many solutions and options available. Contact us to arrange a free, no obligation chat with one of our experts. They will be able to help you with technology and any of our services. You can contact us here.
