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The future is upon us and room technology is your next step.
As much as we would like to think the old ways are the best, your guest will beg to differ. Let me explain
Welcome to another edition of Hospitality Property School.
I am your instructor, Gerry MacPherson.
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Introduction
Greater personalization in your hospitality property, your hotel, resort, inn or bed and breakfast, makes customers feel appreciated, not just another anonymous statistic on the balance sheet.
A smart hospitality property offers exceptional opportunities to deliver personalization.
In-room hospitality technology trends can help you save money, attract more guests, and give those guests more of what they want to ensure they come back time and again. If you have not done so yet, now is the time to consider incorporating the latest technology into your experience as you revamp your property for the year ahead.
As long as properties are transparent and follow data protection laws, some customer information obtained from smart hospitality property solutions can be useful.
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Ways room technology could work
Making information more accessible
Giving a guest the means to use their voice to ask a question and then receive an intelligent answer. Devices can be connected to other property services or the internet, allowing guests to find information and reviews for local bars, restaurants and tourist attractions.
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Preventative maintenance & repairs
Guests and hospitality property owners can benefit from the ability that a smart property provides for pre-emptive maintenance and repairs. Staff will be able to see performance information and operational data for specific devices, in real-time allowing them to spot problems quickly, or even before they happen, allowing repairs to be made earlier.
The result, fewer guest disruptions, early repairs may save money on replacement devices, and less money lost due to rooms out of service.
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Books with Tips & Strategies for Your Hotel, Resort, Inn, Bed and Breakfast
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Room service apps
Goodbye to huge menus and difficult phone calls, instead order room service exactly how you would order all other delivery food. Properties are now offering web-based room service apps for both laptops and mobile devices. Guests have the option to type in the web address or to make the whole process even easier by scanning a QR code located on their nightstand. From there, all they have to do is check out the up-to-date menu, hit a few buttons, and track their delivery.
It will not only improve guest experience and revenues, it defends against online food ordering and delivery platforms taking away market share from a hospitality property restaurant and kitchen.
After receiving their food, guests will be prompted to share images on their social networks, nurturing user-generated content, and rate their meal and service, providing valuable real-time, private feedback directly to the property.
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Personalized experiences from social media messages
Direct messaging isn’t a new marketing strategy but now guests can connect to their hospitality property service staff without downloading extra apps or picking up the phone. Through popular platforms like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, guests can complete automated surveys before their stay, answering questions that allow properties to then cater to their requests and provide a more intimate service experience.
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Interactive TVs
TVs can be remotely set up to refer to guests by their own name, while a central control point can be used by guests to set conditions within the room. The devices will then automatically create those conditions.
Now, that you’ve got your guests all set up with the most popular streaming services, it’s time to upgrade your display monitors too. Even the average Airbnb guest has come to expect the best when it comes to in-room televisions. If you plan to include newer TV models in your immediate property amenities plan, look for hot features like Ultra HD, Wide Color Gamut, and HDR.
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In-room tablets
Why make your guests break out their laptops and iPads when they can conveniently borrow yours? Not only does it add a WOW factor to your in-room amenities list, but it’s also a great way to reach an already captive audience. Use tablets to promote events, re-booking specials, and loyalty programs with tools like pre-downloaded apps and lock screen background images.
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HD voice-controlled & touch screen thermostats
There are brands that are stepping the room temperature game up with interactive voice and touchscreen interfaces that add a sleek, futuristic feel to one of the most important features of any property space. Built-in sensors detect when someone has left the room for an extended period of time, which prompts the device to dim lights, regulate the temperature, and save more energy. Also, it’s nice not having to get up to adjust the thermostat in the middle of the night – just shout out your request and these smart tools will take care of it for you.
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Hospitality property staff video chat without apps
Many hospitality property experts say that customer support videos, both recorded & live, are the key to happier guests, which is why we expect this interactive mobile feature to really take off.
All guests have to do is scan a QR code and they’ll be directly connected to the front desk or customer service team who can help them solve their problems in real-time. This is a great way to bring the human element back into our increasingly tech-obsessed culture while still taking advantage of the latest technology.
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Do these make sense so far? Let me know in the comments.
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Property service robots
Multiple hotel chains have been testing the use of robot technology to help with this for a number of years now and the consensus is that it provides a competitive edge over their competitors who have chosen not to try.
Robots have the potential to free up the time of human staff and assist in the personalization of a guest’s stay.
Although, not everyone is hooked on the idea of a physical robot roaming the halls while they sleep, more and more are becoming more persuaded once they see that the reality is so much more helpful.
Today, they are being used to help with basic laundry transportation and snack delivery – really anything else that would normally force a skilled employee to push things around when they could do something more productive with their time.
And that is just to start.
Their use is almost limitless, with only imagination, and the cost, limiting faster development.
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Smart bathrooms
Smart showers with keypads and displays will become the norm over the next 15 years. Some high-end brands have already begun offering bathroom features like shower keypads and display screens for adjustable settings.
Even today, more high-tech showers are making their way onto the market.
Some of the features include:
- Voice assistant capabilities (syncing up with devices to provide your personalized shower/bath settings)
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- Automatic software updates so the latest features and capabilities will always be made immediately available to users
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- Water and energy usage reduction subtle enough that guests won’t really notice it but powerful enough that it could cut down as much as 30% of your normal consumption per room
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- Systematically sanitized pipes to ensure absolute cleanliness
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- Automatic temperature controls for children and sensitive bathers by customizing to your body temperature
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In-room exercise
Whether it’s at-home gym equipment or on-demand workout videos, in-room exercise is becoming as standard as workout facilities.
From technologically enhanced equipment to pre-loaded mind/body morning routines, wellness in any form should be a top priority for hospitality properties interested in upgrading their in-room hospitality technology.
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In conclusion
In-room technology is not a vision of the future but is happening today all around us.
Hopefully, this episode has given you some ideas to consider for your in-room hospitality property strategy. What I can say for certain that if you don’t start implementing the new technology available soon, I know your competition will.
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What room technology are you currently using at your property?
Let me know in the comments.
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You will have access to this episode for the next six weeks and then it will get locked in the vault for Hospitality Property School Group members only.
When you see that we have something new, don’t mark it “Unread” or file it away in the belief you’ll read it later because you might miss your chance.
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To see all the other valuable material you’d have access to as a member of the Hospitality Property School Group, check out the short video in the episode post-show notes.
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In the next episode, I will talk about video content marketing.
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That’s it for today’s episode,
Until next time, have a fun day.
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Get a jump on your success by getting tips & techniques to help your property grow by signing up for your weekly editions of INNsider Tips? You can find the link in the show notes.
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⇒ TO READ OR LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE ON KEYSTONE HOSPITALITY PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT:
https://keystonehpd.com/room-technology-for-hotels-resorts-inns-bed-breakfasts-226
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