Imagine a hotel guestroom able to instinctively anticipate your every need. As soon as you open the door, lights adjust to your preferred brightness, temperature is instantly set to the perfect setting, and personalized entertainment or hotel stay experience options are made readily available at your fingertips.
This may have been considered science fiction just a few years ago but now, it's describing the reality of what modern guestroom environments look like. With as many as 69 percent of guests indicating a preference for smart-enabled devices and services during their stay, current technology has now caught up and is capable of delivering the heightened personalization and convenience that travelers now expect. At the same time, these newer solutions are also providing hoteliers with unmatched opportunities to deliver services that are more efficient, eco-friendly, and that boost the quality of experiences while reducing costs.
Several key technologies are driving this trend and are undoubtedly set to gain a more widespread presence across the hospitality industry in the months and years ahead.
Placing AI at the Center of the Guestroom Experience
81 percent of guests say they want experience recommendations from hotels, and with the demand for these suggestions to line up with personal interests, hotel staff are now fortunately able to receive a helping hand from artificial intelligence technology. Increasingly sophisticated virtual assistants available through smart TVs, in-room tablets, or voice-activated devices, offer unmatched opportunities to provide the personalized service that each guest seeks at the scale that hotels need.
By serving as each guest’s own personal concierge, these solutions with natural speech capabilities can instantly answer questions, provide tailored recommendations, and even anticipate needs. One example is a guest arriving back at their room late at night being automatically offered a late check-out option. Travelers looking for something to pass the time can also find out about any nearby attractions that match their interests, while those opting to dine-in can instantly request room service according to their dietary preferences and without having to pick up a phone.
This level of intuitive and always readily available service not only enhances guest satisfaction but also alleviates hotel staff workloads by automating routine guestroom-related tasks. Eliminating the need for a middle person to receive a guest’s query and then track down an answer or relay a request to the appropriate department, AI assistants can do the same in mere seconds and without the risk of forgetting about a task. With virtual assistants increasingly being able to integrate with other hotel systems, AI’s presence in the hotel guestroom is undoubtably set to grow further as travelers continue to expect faster and more personalized service.
Creating a Smarter & More Eco-friendly Guestroom
With as many as 69.9 million of US households equipped with at least one smart device, it’s no surprise that many travelers now expect to find the same level of technological innovation when they enter their guestroom. Instead of relying on traditional manual controls, guests want to be able to adjust room settings by either voice or mobile app.
From thermostats and lights to TVs and even drapes, smart technology-enabled solutions are now capable of providing the effortless interaction that more and more consumers are becoming accustomed to, including the ability to control such amenities from the comfort of their bed. Another advantage of these smart technologies is the ability for hoteliers to create a personalized in-room environment that always aligns with a guest’s own preferences. By storing previous visit settings within a guest’s profile, thermostats can automatically be set to the perfect temperature, drapes can be automatically opened or closed, lights can be brightened or dimmed, and TVs can be turned on to a guest’s favorite channel as soon as they open the door.
Guest convenience and personalization aside, in-room smart technology is also providing a crucial opportunity for hotels aiming to achieve maximum efficiency and sustainability for daily guestroom management operations. By integrating a room’s smart devices with energy management systems, a property’s employees are no longer the only line of defense against vacant rooms where amenity settings have been left either switched on or too high. Avoiding countless hours of manual room checks which likely results in some devices being overlooked, smart solutions can automatically be adjusted based on real-time occupancy status. Without sacrificing guest comfort and while allowing staff to make much better use of their time, guestroom smart technology integrations can significantly reduce a property’s carbon footprint and lower energy costs by as much as 20 percent.
Tying Enhanced Guestroom Management Together With Mobile Keys
While seemingly a minor detail, the way that guests can access their rooms is also being reshaped by technology that’s providing hoteliers with a wide range of operational advantages. Digitalized room keys have grown to become a mainstream feature at many properties around the world thanks to the solution’s ability to enhance guest convenience and staff efficiency from the very moment that a hotel stay experience begins.
As many as 60 percent of guests now indicate a preference for mobile keys which allows them to avoid the front desk by using personal devices to gain access to their room. While designed to save guests time, the technology likewise provides staff with substantial time savings by eliminating the need to manually check each guest in and issue a physical key. This benefit alone translates into allowing employees to focus on more important responsibilities that enhance stay experience quality, but it also results in reduced plastic waste and costs by avoiding the need to create keycards. With mobile key technology continuing to evolve and now featuring digital wallet compatibility to further boost convenience, the solution’s influence on guestroom management is only set to grow, and is increasingly being integrated with in-room controls, loyalty programs, and mobile payment systems in order to provide a truly frictionless stay experience.
Embracing Innovation in Guestroom Management
As guest expectations evolve, technology is now essential to delivering seamless and personalized stays while ensuring enhanced efficiency. AI-driven concierges, IoT-enabled smart rooms, and mobile keys enhance convenience while optimizing hotel operations. These innovations are no longer optional; they are defining the modern hotel stay experience. Properties that embrace these advancements will meet rising guest expectations while keeping costs down- each crucial components of running a successful hospitality business that’s capable of maintaining a competitive edge.
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