WHAT ’ S HOT T E C H N O L O G Y
WHAT ’ S HOT T E C H N O L O G Y
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AI makes itself
AT HOME
As Siri and Alexa become members of many households ’ families , hotel guests are starting to expect the same sophisticated technology available in their hotel rooms as well . And while most hoteliers are smart enough to know that smart hotels are the future , they insist that the hotel of the future will always have hospitable human interaction .
But many hoteliers are concerned about the unknown consequences of artificial intelligence . According to a white paper by SiteMinder and Ideas Revenue Solutions released in February , hoteliers fear a future where properties are run by robots even as they believe that AI is critical to guest personalization , particularly in parsing the mass of guest preference data . “ Hotels have a wealth of guest intelligence at their disposal . They have the opportunity to understand and analyze every point of the guest experience — and to make more innovative , more informed decisions — but they need information to flow seamlessly through their systems in order to make it work ,” Ruairi Conroy , Siteminder ’ s managing director – EMEA , says in a statement announcing the white paper .
But an audience poll at an HSMAI event in April showed that only 23 % of respondents thought their company had a clear definition and vision for AI . Lack of funding and lack of specific skills were also concerns .
Still , hotels are coming up with their own solutions : IHG Greater China collaborated with Baidu , a Chinese internet search provider , to offer guests Smart Room technology , powered by AI , at more than 450 rooms in six IHG properties in China ( 800 more rooms are scheduled to receive it soon ). The Chinese-language tablet sits by the bedside and uses voice controls to play music , manage lighting and order room service . The system is simplifying “ backstage ” management and can track guest satisfaction , says Lin Wang , chief marketing officer of IHG Greater China . “ We are looking to improve the technology to make it even smarter and understand English in the near future ,” she says .— B . B .
T
Taking
APPS
he experience of a hotel isn ’ t just the physical space — more and more , it ’ s defined and personalized in the digital space . Early apps that were more booking engine than engagement opportunity are morphing into a critical touchpoint .
From the time Virgin Hotels launched Lucy in early 2015 , “ we never saw the app as just a booking engine ,” says Doug Carrillo , VP of sales and marketing . “ We felt that this was a way for us to connect with our hotel guests as well as to make their stay easier .” And , he says , “ we knew early on that the customer would prefer to manage that experience through their own device .” Virgin ’ s two U . S . hotels will be joined by seven others opening in the next three years and using the app .
“ The increasing proliferation of household IoT technologies , like smart lightbulbs , and streaming media like Netflix , Showtime , and more are driving some of our guests to expect them in a hospitality setting ,” says Joshua Sloser , Hilton ’ s senior vice president of digital . Starting in January , Hilton guests could stream their Netflix accounts through the hotel ’ s app . And with Connected Room technology on the app , guests can adjust their environment without getting up from the bed .
The app also employs digital key , check-in and check-out , the ability to select a room from a digital floorplan , and an “ Explore ” section that tailors a list of suggested activities from local staff such as dining or nightlife for guests , who might include a family or business travelers . The digital key is available at more than 4,200 Hilton properties , Sloser says , “ so it is not something that ’ s just at a few test hotels .”
What ’ s next ? “ Pay is one thing the hotel industry needs to look at ; down the road , maybe voice activation or voice , like Alexa ,” Carrillo says . “ That ’ s the thing the industry is trying to figure out — how do I speak into my phone , or into my watch , or into a device in my room ?”
Guests of The Standard hotels , in the U . S . and London , who don ’ t want to fiddle with IoT in their rooms can use the Lobby app to create an alias and interact with other guests . The guest controls how much personal information is available and can decide whether to meet IRL ( and they don ’ t need to worry about leaving a trail — the alias checks out when they do ).— B . B .
42 hotelsmag . com June 2019