We travel to discover the beauty of the world – and technology is unveiling that beauty in ways we never thought possible. This is especially true in the hospitality industry, where tech in hotels is transforming the guest experience.
Gone are the days of high-street travel agents, clunky guidebooks, and traveller's checks. Today, your perfect getaway is just a few taps away on your smartphone.
But it's not just about booking flights and hotels. The entire hospitality industry is undergoing a tech-driven transformation, with innovative hotels embracing cutting-edge solutions to elevate the guest experience to new heights. These hospitality industry trends are redefining what travel means.
From AI-powered concierges to personalised in-room entertainment, technology is ushering in a new era of hospitality, where every touchpoint is seamlessly integrated and tailored to the needs of the modern traveller.
The importance of the guest experience
In a competitive space, the importance of managing and improving your guests' experience could be the difference between success and failure. Modern hotels have evolved beyond providing a simple place to stay. Nowadays, every aspect of travel is increasingly focused on authentic experiences and deeper connections, and this includes accommodations.
Guests want to be immersed in the cities or communities they are visiting. They want to feel valued, with a certain ‘home from home’ feeling that comes from staying at a hotel with a genuine interest in catering to their personal expectations. One that inspires and empowers them to create a memorable travel experience.
Leading hotelier Hilton’s 2024 Trends Report shows that 85 per cent of modern travellers prioritise experiences. Hotel brands must make guest experience a priority.
Hotels doing it differently
Some of the world’s most innovative brands are taking tech in hotels to a whole new level. YOTEL in New York City focuses on automated services and a contactless guest experience via its enormous robotic arm that dominates the hotel’s lobby. The robot-concierge provides automated luggage storage for guests and self-service check-in.
Meanwhile, in Japan, the Henn Na Hotel has taken robotics to an entire new level. Known as “The Robot Hotel”, it claims to be the world’s first hotel staffed by robots. From the robot-Batista conjuring up your cappuccino to the 360-degree VR space and facial recognition technology, the hotel offers a truly futuristic experience.
Using technology to enable guests to better control their experience is one of the key hospitality industry trends, and there are a number of brands getting it right. Virgin Hotels has introduced a dedicated contactless platform called ‘Lucy’. The platform’s app enables guests to use smartphones to check in, select rooms, unlock doors, order room service, adjust room temperature, select entertainment and more.
Hilton and Marriott are also getting in on the act, having both recently implemented AI-powered assistants, enabling guests to control lighting, temperature and entertainment systems through simple voice commands.
How to harness the latest tech in hotels
There are a seemingly endless array of technologies that modern hotel brands can embrace. The key is to be discerning. It’s important to implement the right kind of technology for your unique hotel brand, the kind that can add to the guest experience without compromising your hotel’s brand values and principles.
Here are a few examples of the kinds of technologies that hotel brands can use:
Artificial intelligence (AI)
If used properly, AI can be one of the most effective types of tech in hotels. Predictive AI models can be harnessed to find out expected demand, create staff schedules, automate processes and optimise hospitality industry marketing campaigns. AI-powered data analytics can be used to personalise the guest experience, giving hotels a better understanding of guest expectations to create more tailored experiences.
Internet of Things (IoT)
IoT technologies can be integrated to put guests’ experiences in their own hands. IoT-enabled devices enable streamlined communication with the hotel, with services such as room service, laundry, or restaurant ordering available with a few swipes and clicks. Guests can also control room ambience with smart lighting and temperature. Hotels can also use IoT to glean a better understanding of their guests, getting actionable insights from guest data such as ordering histories, marketing engagement and loyalty schemes. This can be used to inform campaigns for digital marketing in the hotel industry.
New mobile technologies and apps
Hotels can implement streamlined payment and ordering systems that reduce waiting times, enhance the guest experience and stimulate customer engagement. Smartphones, tablets, and other devices can not only be utilized as a quick and efficient payment and ordering system but can also create loyalty schemes, offer exclusive promotions and track guest rewards.
Virtual reality (VR)
Geared more towards the high-end entertainment side of tech in hotels, VR has the potential to enable hotels to offer their guests a futuristic experience. While this kind of technology is not as prevalent as the likes of AI just yet, there are a few tech-based hotels around the world offering guests innovative interactive entertainment in the form of VR gaming rooms. The technology can also be used to offer guests a virtual tour of the hotel and allow them to instantly explore the surrounding area, earmarking potential destinations to visit.
Chatbots
When it comes to enhancing efficiency and improving the guest experience while reducing costs, chatbots are an excellent innovation. With round-the-clock availability, chatbots can give precise answers to guest inquiries and can even be used to make reservations. When used along with specific guest data gathered from AI and IoT tech, a chatbot could even provide guests with personalized recommendations.
AI and hyper-personalization
In an era of ever-evolving guest expectations and increasing demand for a bespoke travel experience, harnessing AI technology to create a hyper-personalized guest experience is the next step in hospitality. AI technology is capable of analysing huge amounts of data and can track user interactions to better understand every single guest. This enables hotels to create an unprecedented level of customization, giving guests exactly what they want. An experience that fits them like a glove.
AI enables guests to enjoy bespoke room settings, tailored entertainment options and a fully customised dining experience. Hotels can utilise recommendation engines powered by complex algorithms to offer guests personalized travel suggestions and itineraries, giving them the chance to fully immerse themselves in the local area.
AI-powered predictive analytics can be harnessed to provide tailored marketing and hospitality services, with guest-specific advertising and content delivery, together with enhanced customer care that meets guests’ personal expectations.
A continuous feedback loop is paramount. Hotels can implement AI-powered sentiment analysis tools to collect and process reviews, detecting patterns from large data sets to improve services and better meet the changing needs and expectations of their guests.
The future is here
The use of groundbreaking tech in hotels is far from a trend – it’s the driving force behind a move towards a dynamic, fully personalized guest experience. Still, for all the incredible potential afforded by new innovations, it’s not just about implementing the latest technology. The best hotels will have a precise strategy and will communicate their unique qualities to their audience.
Make the seamless shift towards a new era in hospitality by investing in the services of an expert hotel digital marketing agency. At Peregryn, we have years of experience working with leading hotel brands worldwide, using a combination of cutting-edge SEO strategies and creative content campaigns. We can help turn your business into a beloved brand.
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