Updated: Hotel Technology

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Hotel Technology and Guest Experience

Many in the hospitality industry are competing to have the newest and the most in terms of guest-facing technology. With technology available today, guests can check in with their phone, have the power turn on in their room when they walk in the door (and turn back off when they leave), tether their phone to the TV, watch a movie via blue-ray/movies on demand/internet/cell phone, control air and water temperature via complicated systems, and check out by sending a text.

But what do guests actually want? When it comes to staying away from home, guests’ needs are still basic. They want cleanliness. They want comfort. Most guests aren’t spending the majority of their stay in their hotel room, so what about connecting with guests who are out and about?

Guest technology is a fast-growing market and is changing guest experience in a permanent way. Being one step ahead of your competitor is crucial in today’s market, but innovation must never come at the expense of the guest experience.

The key is to embrace innovation in a way that enhances the emotional connection for guests, rather than taking away from it. For hoteliers, this should involve using technology in a way that gives employees more efficiency, freeing up their time to focus on what really matters in this industry – the guest.

Digital touch screen technology adds a visual pop in a hotel lobby, meets the expectations of travelers, and keeps guests interested and informed. New generations of this sort of signage are an all-in-one resources for hotel properties.

Mobile options give guests the ability to connect with the hotel from the planning phase through the last moment of their stay. Allowing guests to connect on their own terms and have instant access to hotel and local information is a turning point in hospitality technology, saving time for the guests as well as staff.

Hotel technologies such as these are evolving quickly and offer tremendous value and potential for hotels to notify guests of any number of initiatives and brand features.