Staying ahead of the curve by being early adopters of new technology has always been important in making establishments stand out from the crowd, and ensuring that they remain the first choice for guests. So as we look into the future of hotel design, will technology alone deliver everything that is required to ensure guests have a memorable stay?
As a specialist in Hospitality AV, you might expect me to agree that the hotel of the future will mean AI, voice control and more tech. There is certainly a place for all of these, but what we really need is to ensure that all new technology is delivered with purpose.
Currently there is a lot of focus on AI. What it is and if it is something to celebrate or fear. AI is something we all need to understand better and embrace, but will it holistically define the future of the luxury hospitality sector?
We need to consider why guests choose to stay in hotels. Their reasons may be numerous, but one thing remains constant, what they experience during their stay will shape their memory of the occasion and will determine whether they choose to return in the future.
So what makes a stay memorable? Beautiful interiors, great food, the latest technology, a really comfortable bed? The answer probably differs for each guest, but something that will resonate with everyone is the staff and the customer service that they have received during their stay.
In my opinion, no amount of technology will ever completely replace people. At home our guests may well be surrounded by all the latest gizmos and we might presume that this is what they want for a memorable hotel stay. That may well be true, but true luxury and outstanding hospitality is defined by the human touch; someone catering for both your perceived and unexpected needs, providing a level of service that you just don’t have at home.
In the current climate, staffing is one of the biggest challenges for hoteliers, so what we need is technology that empowers your staff. Technology that allows them to deliver the hi-tech ‘WOW’ factor with minimum effort, so that they can continue to offer outstanding face-to-face contact and in-person experiences which deliver exceptional customer service.
New technology needs to be thought through and delivered with ease of use and the guest experience at the forefront.
Be mindful that ‘state of the art’ technology in a domestic environment is not the solution for hospitality venues. Delivery of technology in these two very different spaces has two very different requirements. At home, you may want to be able to control tech in adjacent rooms, see who else is connected to your systems, or share your music collection. In a hospitality setting it certainly isn’t desirable for individuals to affect the sound in an adjoining space, identify each others’ tech, or share personal Spotify or iTunes in a public space, which would cause no end of licensing problems for the owner of the site!
Ensure you embrace the remote technology support that is already available; AV systems which flag any issues to your AV installer before they become a problem to you. Meaning a projector lamp can be replaced or blocked filter diagnosed and fixed before the next guest even arrives.
Think about adding some ‘magic and theater’ into technology control, moving away from functional controls to fully integrated controls at the press of a screen. Imagine pressing ‘presentation’ on a touch screen in a meeting room or event space, where the room set up happens smoothly in a timed sequence; the projector and screen start descending from the ceiling, the projector lights up, the curtains or blinds close and then the house lighting dims to a lower level, all seamlessly and without intervention, ensuring your staff are free to aid guests with any questions they may have ahead of the presentation beginning.
These may just be small examples of how integrated, hospitality led technology can free up staff and add WOW! to your guest experience. As we move forward and technology develops, new opportunities will continue to present themselves, we just need to ensure that everything we embrace is delivered with a purpose. The more technology can free up your staff to be there for your guests, the more memorable an experience they can help to deliver.