Gone are the days when hotel guests only needed a cosy mattress, impressive interior decor and a-la-carte menu. Enter today’s hotel guests: the millennials. They account for 75% of all hotel guests.
They are technology savvy and seek more personalized and differentiated hotel experiences. According to QYResearch group, the global luxury market is expected to hit $235 billion by 2025.
To have a slice of this market share, luxury hotels such as the hotels in tangier morocco that have 5 stars are leveraging technology to stay ahead of the game. How? By creating rooms of the future featuring the edgiest technology and the coolest features.
We take a look at some of the trendiest ways luxury hotels are embracing technology to stay ahead of the competition:
Robotic luggage storage
Luxury hotels are becoming more futuristic, meet our bots. Yotel in New York, which is close to Hell’s Kitchen provides space efficient guestrooms with full size “cabins” for an affordable nightly stay. The cabin beds are tucked out of sight during the day creating space-efficient rooms.
The check-in process is seamless and convenient thanks to their touch screen kiosks which have replaced their front desk staff. But they still have around the clock staff to assist the guests. Yotel uses robots and artificial intelligence to offer its guests a delightful experience.
The robot takes your luggage and stores it in a locker and when you need its crane arm retrieves your luggage from your locker once you input a corresponding code. In some luxurious hotels, a robot equipped with motion sensors stands at the hallway to guide you to your room just in case you lose your way.
Interactive Spaces
The demands of the millennial guest keep evolving and continue to shape hotels architectural designs. Designers are creating more open plan communal “neighborhood hangouts” and are shifting away from traditional hotel lobbies.
Brands such as IHG’s Indigo are famous for designing boutique hotels with an element of culture and local experiences. Large tech-savvy hotels such as Hilton with their new Tru Brand are winning over millennials by creating interactive spaces that encourage people to socialize more.
Marriott hotels have set the bar higher with their first living digital hotel at the Renaissance New York packed with real-time experiences, local designs and a wealth of information.
The hotel prides itself for showcasing impressive digital artwork that changes in response to digital displays along the corridors when the guests are on the move offering a stunningly innovative and futuristic experience.
Smart lighting & mirror
Accor hotels rolled out their smart rooms complete with motion sensing lights beneath each bed. Modern hotels are also exploring new techniques like the Philips Hue App that syncs your room’s lighting with great music.
We’ve heard of smart fridges, smart doors and now enters the intelligent mirror. The smart mirror is an interactive information and communication hub inside the guest room with touchscreen access to the internet and all the apps you need. It redefines the guest’s experience.
Currently being rolled out by Starwood, a touch mirror provides you with news feed, hotel information, weather updates, entertainment, local maps and summons a robotic butler to bring you an extra bottle of champagne. Each hotel can customize it to suit its specific needs.
With 5G fast gaining pace, hotels want to keep up the pace with 5G enabled hotels giving their guests an unforgettable staying experience.
Keyless entry
Your smartphone just got smarter. Give your guests a convenient and seamless interaction with keyless check-ins.
Bluetooth enabled keyless entry apps saves costs, time and resources while improving the guest experience and creating a personalized offer.
When room service arrives, you don’t need to rush and open the door. You unlock the door using your smartphone app.
Keyless entry redefines practicality, modernity, and accessibility. A “key” is sent to you virtually by the hotel, and you can access it via their app as an encrypted code that unlocks the hotel via Bluetooth increasing consumer satisfaction.
Voice controlled rooms
Haven’t we all been longing to speak to our computers and it does things for us? Well, thanks to Siri, Google Home, and Alexa the hotel industry has seized upon this opportunity.
Wynne Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas features an Amazon echo to maximize their guest experience. Thanks to Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, guest of Wynne Hotel & Resort can control temperature, lighting, open and close your curtains, Turn on/off your tv and even take room service orders on voice command.
The echos at Wynne are preset to these commands, but more will be added in the future for the more personalized guest experience.
Digital concierge
Virtual concierge solutions are a quick and efficient way to cater to your guests’ requirements compared to room service calls. Hoteliers invest heavily in enhancing their guests’ experience to attract repeat customers and referrals.
The Renaissance New York Midtown hotel features a circular hologram projected on the floor where guests can step on and choose a variety of dining and entertainment options. The hotel also offers in-person concierge services to provide guests with in-depth information. This creates a more luxurious and interactive experience.
Online bookings
A vital component of the unforgettable guest experience is smooth, quick and non-disruptive access to hotel accommodation and services. With a click on your smartphone, you can view room types and hotels, hotel reviews and facilities on offer before booking a site.
According to a survey 48% of smartphone users in the U.S research and book their travel destinations online with sites such as booking.com, Airbnb and visits sites such as a TripAdvisor to find more in-depth hotel information.
Digital check in and check outs are pivotal for the success of any hotel.
Bottom line:
Hoteliers are incorporating technology to provide their guests with state of the art amenities. Luxury hotels are raising the bar with high tech, edgy and smart room technology for a seamless, luxurious and personalized stay.
These upscale hotel chains optimize their guests’ comfort and convenience while gaining a sizeable share of the market.
