WHAT ’ S HOT
TECHNOLOGY
SOFTWARE FOR ESSENTIAL DATA AND NEW WAYS TO WOW GUESTS ARE ON THE CUTTING EDGE .
By Nathan Greenhalgh , associate editor
MOBILE , TABLET APPLICATIONS
New applications for mobile phones and tablets are proliferating while hotels ’ offerings on this medium evolve . In addition to guest-facing point-of-sales applications , apps that function as virtual concierges , mobile room keys , in-room entertainment and environment controls and amenities marketing are becoming more and more prevalent , something industry experts predict to continue as consumers ’ use of the devices for an ever-expanding list of functions is further conditioned . “ The ubiquity
Intelity ’ s ICE on an iPad
of mobile devices changes how those devices ’ users behave toward communicating more on mobile , making decisions at their convenience and often at the last minute , having less tolerance for companies not present in the mobile domain ,” says John Burns , president of Hospitality Technology Consulting .
Examples of multi-functional apps for guests include Intelity ’ s ICE , which since its launch at the 2011 HITEC has been installed in almost 500 hotels , and LodgeNet Mobile , which in
LodgeNet Mobile
addition to working as an interactive remote control also offers check-out , services ordering and destination information .
In addition to guest-facing technology , vendors are creating tablet applications to assist with MICE sales . eMarketing360 ’ s iPad application iSaleskit gives the user detailed visuals on a hotel ’ s MICE offerings , including floorplans with hot spots showing photos of rooms with different setups and specification information .
46 HOTELS October 2012 www . hotelsmag . com