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The hotel industry is going through rapid digital transformation and these are exciting times for guests. Property managers and business owners are trying to find new ways to attract digital natives and encourage guests to put the pandemic concerns to rest. It hasn't been smooth sailing but new hotel tech can surely help you get ahead in acquiring new customers.
Here are 5 technologies that are going to change the hotel industry in 2022 and beyond:
Chatbots are already showing great results in the healthcare, manufacturing, and education sectors. AI chatbots have seen wide adoption because people prefer to get the details over a chat instead of scheduling calls. Younger generations feel more comfortable with texts and the Zoom fatigue isn't helping professionals either.
Being an experiential industry, hotels need to improve their customer-facing services with chatbots. This doesn't mean you should view chatbots as a way to replace customer services. Use chatbots as an extension of your support team so that repetitive queries can be automated, allowing support to focus on more complex issues.
Chatbots reduce wait time, improve the visitor experience and allow teams to convert prospects into paying guests.
Internet availability in hotels is not a problem so much as the availability of “high-speed” internet. Guests’ digital needs have evolved in the last few years and providing WiFi to text friends will not be enough going forward.
Bleisure travel is on the rise as travelers look to mix business trips with leisure. On top of that, digital nomads are running full-fledged online businesses while staying in hotels and workation is picking up pace too. Hotels need to provide high-speed internet for lag-free meetings, presentations, and file sharing. If guests are happy with the internet connectivity on the property, they'll be more likely to extend their stay.
Contactless services have become a pivotal part of tech-forward hotels with facial recognition allowing guests to move freely.
You can implement facial recognition software for seamless check-in and check-out, improve room security and track user behavior within the property. While contactless services such as digital keys and smartphone apps are gradually becoming standard, facial recognition may take a couple of more years to go mainstream.
However, you can stay ahead of the curve and create a differentiated experience for guests by offering them facial recognition-based services right now. Having said that, it’s important to process data responsibly because it can lead to security concerns if managed without a strategy.
Virtual reality (VR) has found one of the best use cases in real estate and you can implement the same philosophy in your hotel as well. Use VR technology to map rooms, interiors, and facilities and allow people to check them out virtually. This elevates the prospecting experience and allows guests to make better decisions.
Virtual property tours are often better than images and videos and if you can make the tour interactive with augmented reality (AR), that's even better! The closest thing your competitors might be using is 360° images—you can race ahead of them by impressing new guests with virtual hotel tours.
Millennials and Gen Z are particularly focused on a hotel's carbon footprint. Guests don't want to promote businesses that harm local resources and 71% of them will make more efforts to find sustainable travel choices in the next few months. If you want to showcase your sustainability efforts, technology can be a major enabler.
Sustainable tech such as occupancy-based sensors that turn off devices in empty rooms, waste heat recovery systems, solar panels for green energy, and food waste management systems not only help you save costs but also attract more guests. Focus on turning the entire property into zero-energy buildings and use technology to bridge the gap between the business and local resources.
Looking to make the most of technology to improve your hotel’s revenue potential? MyCONECT’s two-way integrated app offers guests and hotel staff seamless and contactless services on the go. Get in touch with us to know more.