Hospitality technology came a long way in 2014, but the best is yet to come.
Year on year, travelling millennials are demanding more streamlined services and when deciding what technology in which to invest, hoteliers need to be taking their cues from these customers. Guests want the smartphone in their hand to wield as much power as possible, and although a holiday once meant a digital detox, today’s travellers won’t part with their bandwidth munching lifestyles.
Wi-Fi is king
The huge shift in what constitutes a good night’s sleep and a good score on TripAdvisor is now often dependent on how good/available and efficient the Wi-Fi connection is in a room.
The prevailing use of the Internet in our everyday lives continues to put pressure on hoteliers to upgrade their tech offering and this trend will continue to be dominant in 2015 and beyond.
In an effort to continue meeting the expectations of tomorrow’s hotel guest, the hot topics for the coming year will continue to be Wi-Fi, app reward schemes, speedy check-ins, and cloud-based devices.
Battle of the bandwidths
The barrage of multiple devices on hotel bandwidths looks set to increase still further in 2015; hoteliers still operating outdated Wi-Fi solutions are going to feel the strain. IPads, laptops and smartphones are already battling it out for bandwidth and wearable devices such as I-Watches look set to join the fray in 2015.
Millennial travellers will be arriving at hotels worldwide, armed with four or five devices expecting their hotel of choice to be equipped to handle them all. If you’re in any doubt that Wi-Fi is now a ‘utility’, a recent study by Direct Line discovered that 51% of those polled could go longer without seeing their friends than using their smartphone.
For 2016 and beyond tech trend forecasters predict ‘three screens’ (mobile, tablet, computer) will make way for multifunctional singular devices. This development will inevitably arrive with its own set of new challenges.
Hoteliers will have to embrace the increase in BYOC and BYOD by equipping themselves with a better HSIA solution such as Radiant 4 which addresses the challenge in managing bandwidth so called ‘bandwidth munchers’.
Mobile app revolution
Hotel apps with multiple functions are already well established, with the ‘Hospitality Technology Lodging Study 2013’ finding that as many as 72% of hotel apps could already reserve rooms and 44% already collect real time guest feedback.The implementation of capabilities such as mobile check-in will save hoteliers money on reception staff and speed up check in times. At the time of the study 8% of US hotels offered Mobile Room Keys and this was predicted to rise to 34% by 2015. Mobile apps are also an extremely valuable tool for nurturing customer loyalty. Through the medium of an app, independent hoteliers and hotel brands can run post-stay surveys to improve service and offer loyalty reward schemes to boost repeat bookings.
Head in the Clouds
Smart hoteliers will be streamlining their operations by using cloud solutions in 2015. There is little point wowing the consumer with impressive technology and then falling down in other areas because the back of house systems are from the Dark Ages. The cloud can give hotels a robust virtual infrastructure including a property management system, a central reservation system and HR tools. Staff management can be seamless, with integrated time sheets and pay roll systems.
The best thing about the cloud is that it is accessible for even the smallest hotel so it levels the playing field across the hotel business. Cisco has forecast that cloud applications will account for 90% of global mobile data traffic by 2018.
The technological demands of hotel guests will increase year on year. Although futuristic additions such as beds that rock guests to sleep may become available, next year’s trends will be focused on maximising a hotel’s core efficiency. Hoteliers who haven’t yet sat down to think about how they can capitalise on the exciting innovations in the industry should take the time to do so, or else they may find their hotel is left behind.
What lies ahead?
Over the next decade we should expect to start seeing more complex demands from hotel guests. New challenges – robots, clients that expect individual service tailored to anticipate their personal preferences and intelligent rooms.
A recent report ‘Hotels 2020 – Beyond Segmentation’ states that hotels must embrace extreme personalisation and become ‘living innovation laboratories’ to survive a turbulent decade ahead.
The demands of tomorrow’s hotel guest will no doubt cause a huge shift in the future strategies, business models, services and innovative approach of branded hotel groups.
Until then, what’s the password for Wi-Fi
For more information about Radiant 4 Wi-Fi solutions for 2015 contact;
Acentic on 01525-844951
Email us radiant4@acentic.com
For more information about Acentic click here
We recently interviewed Acentic, for the full interview click here
About Acentic
Acentic is a global leader in hotel TV and hospitality technology, operating in more than 40 countries and have been partners of choice to the world’s leading hospitality providers for more than 30 years. At the forefront of In Room Entertainment, Wi-Fi and HSIA technology, Acentic provides turnkey solutions for its clients; from initial survey to installation and ongoing 24 hour support for both hotel and guests. The Acentic Technology family delivers unrivalled levels of features and functionality with outstanding commercial packages. It operates at every level of the hospitality and conference market from high-end to budget, for boutique or lodges Acentic. Technology, Made better.