Hoteliers, tour operations, and airlines alike continually searching for innovative ways to stay competitive.
Listed below are the five most important emerging technology trends that businesses in the hospitality industry should watch out for and invest in:
1. Smart Hotel Rooms
The concept of smart hotel rooms has been in focus for several years, but so far, it has failed chiefly due to the high costs of technical implementation. This is likely to change soon, however, as more and more companies bring simple, inexpensive solutions to market.
In a smart hotel room, guests can control lighting, curtains, room temperature, fans, and other devices from a single device – a great way to increase guest comfort.
Read more: Applications of IoT in the Hotel Industry
2. Digital Check-In / -Out
Digital check-in and check-out is another development that has been on the market for several years but has not yet fully caught on. The lack of success so far is primarily because the solutions mainly were too cumbersome and not intuitive and user-friendly. Ideally, a digital check-in / out solution should, of course, fit smoothly into the customer journey. So, why should that change in the next few years?
The beginning of the coronavirus pandemic the past year made it clear to everyone the importance of contactless processes. The market has responded with offers that are simpler and more user-friendly than ever before.
In addition to the apparent benefit of avoiding contact during a pandemic, digital check-in and check-out also have other advantages: Hotel guests arriving late, during peak hours, or who are in a hurry benefit enormously from the digital check-in and check-out option. From the hotel’s point of view, this extra service also relieves front desk staff, saving personnel costs and resources.
3. Streaming Technology
Our television consumption has changed fundamentally in recent years. Given the new, extensive, and flexible offers such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney +, the typical free in-room premium cable offerings will probably not convince hotel guests for much longer.
So, what do you offer a hotel guest who wants to feel at home during their stay? Quite simply: the possibility of streaming content from their own subscriptions services using the existing hotel internet connection accompanied by a Smart TV.
Such streaming services will undoubtedly be included in the standard range of hotels amenities because of their low costs and the straightforward implementation.
Check out related: 4 Ways to Digitally Transform Business Models with IoT Technology
4. Sustainable Hotels
Sustainability is undoubtedly one of the long-term trends for the hotel industry, and technology can provide good support here. For example, digital in-room tablets are already replacing paper forms of spa brochures, menu cards, and guest information in the hotel room. They offer guests the option of reusing towels, sheets and foregoing room cleaning altogether as part of labor-saving “green practices.”
So, keep an eye out for digital solutions that will make your hotel more sustainable and achieve a return on investment (ROI) at the same time.
5. Big Data in the Hotel
The movement and actions of any single individual generates a lot of numbers and statistics. The discussion about big data is omnipresent and also a topic in the hotel industry. The digitization of countless hotel processes means, for example, that hotels can collect, save, and use existing data while being completely GDPR-compliant.
For example, hoteliers can send guests interested in in-house spa treatments customized push messages directly into the hotel room. It is a great upselling opportunity and, for the hotel, also the chance to increase the guest experience even more.
Related blog: How Big Data Analytics Can Massively Impact Your Business
The Coming Years Will Be Exciting for Hotels
With all of these technological trends in mind, the following years should be exciting. After the end of the peak phase of the pandemic, which is slowly becoming apparent, innovation will be needed to stimulate the hospitality industry again in the long term. Technological innovations will also play a decisive role for hotel operators to maintain their position in the competition with new services for guests to enjoy.