forwear
No worse
A handful of forward-thinking hotel and travel companies are dabbling in the technology broadly known as “ wearables ”— which includes devices like the Apple Watch and “ smart ” wristbands like Disney World ’ s popular MagicBand — although it appears the widespread use of such gadgets industrywide is far from an everyday reality . Still , experts say early results are encouraging .
Currently , wearables allow guests to do things like make on-site purchases , access special resort and club areas , open the doors to their rooms , control in-room climate and lighting , and even track spending . Pilot tests confirm these devices are a hit with guests and may even help drive incremental revenue , provided the technology is employed in the right location and property .
“ You need to look into the future and think , ‘ What is the next technology that could work for our customers ? What could ease their experience ?’ ” says Maria Bobrowska , commercial mobile manager ( Europe ) for TUI Group , which recently piloted its TUI Smartband ( see interview on p . 54 ). “ Every target group or market may not potentially be ready for that technology ; you just need to innovate and
52 HOTELS January / February 2016 www . hotelsmag . com