How will smart technology affect the hotel room of the future? Hospitality meet Technology.
Smart design isn’t just something for your home, and it isn’t all about saving energy. In fact, there are multiple ways that smart technology can (and is!) impacting the hospitality business to improve the guest experience. From keyless entry to check-in kiosks to interactive spaces, let’s delve into the future of hotel design.
Digital Check-in
One of the most obvious ways the hotel industry has embraced technology is via the check-in process. From using mobile devices to check-in to kiosks in the lobby, expect more and more properties and brands to embrace allowing guests to select their rooms. The advantages this offers hotels are twofold. First guests no longer have to stand in line. Second, guest services are free to roam the lobby, providing guests with a more personal welcome. There’s also the potential for lobbies to be reimagined, without a dominating reception desk.
Phones as Keys
First it was keycards and now many hotels are allowing guests to use their phones to unlock their rooms. Younger generations have grown up using mobile devices in almost all aspects of their lives, so using their phone as a room key is just another extension of this. For the hotel, the advantage lies in saved time, resources and cost, as well as the ability to more easily capture guest preferences and send personalized offers directly to a guest’s phone.
Interactive Elements
Interactive appliances and other voice-activated assistants are becoming more and more common in everyday homes. In keeping with that trend, some hotels are adopting interactive elements in their guest rooms such as a Smart Mirror that provides internet access via the mirror’s touchscreen.
Wireless Innovations
From the afore mentioned voice-activated assistants to wireless charging to new entertainment platforms, there are a whole range of innovations that hotels can incorporate in their rooms and communal spaces.
Interactive Environments
Travelers of all stripes, but particularly millennials, value experiences when they are visiting new destinations. With that in mind, many hotels are rethinking their lobbies. Rather than a more traditional space, properties are working to create communal spaces that encourage guests and locals to hang out and interact with each other.
