Read about this hotel technology love story in the heart of Boston at the iconic Boston Harbor Hotel.

Arching majestically over the Rowes Wharf, the Boston Harbor Hotel is renowned for impeccable service and personalized attention to hotel guests that rivals any other luxury accommodation in the city.

The property boasts a number of different awards in recognition of the high priority placed on guest satisfaction TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Winner, Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards, U.S. News & World Report Best Hotels in the USA, etc). It’s also got the distinguishing credentials of both five stars and four diamonds.

In other words, it’s the embodiment of a love letter to its guests.

Stephen Johnston, Managing Director and General Manager, says, “We listen to our guests a lot. We’ve very engaged as a Five-Star hotel.”

It was an interest in maintaining this high level of guest engagement, and even deepening the connection, that led Boston Harbor Hotel to invest in new hotel technology through a partnership with industry innovator INTELITY. What better way to woo both new and returning travelers who wound up in the hotel’s lobby than with modern touches that facilitate communication, service, and engagement?

“When INTELITY was first sold to me, I liked it because we didn’t have much technology in the hotel, but we knew it was time to introduce some,” Stephen says.

And following the release of a customized hotel app, in addition to the installation of hotel in-room tablets in each of the guest rooms, the Boston Harbor Hotel has already noticed dramatic improvements.

Increased in-room dining revenue, reduced operational costs, and positive guest feedback was only the start of the benefits realized.

Read more about how we helped foster hotel technology love among staff and guests at the Boston Harbor Hotel.

The Forbes Travel Guide Star Award Winners list is out, and Five-Star hotels appear to fully embrace hotel technology for exceptional guest service.

We’re thrilled to congratulate all of the global hospitality industry for an incredible showing in the Forbes Travel Guide 2017 Star Awards. What’s amazing is how many of the recognized hotels have fully embraced hotel technology.

For example, out of this year’s 175 Forbes Five-Star hotels, about one out of four are Intelity partners and utilize some form of guest engagement hotel technology, whether it is mobile hotel apps or in-room tablets in hotel rooms. Out of the 22 first-time Five-Star hotels making an appearance on this list, 18 percent are our hotel technology partners.

1 in 4 of the 2017 Forbes Five-Star Hotels is an INTELITY hotel technology partner.

INTELITY has hotel partners in the four United States with the largest number of Five-Star hotels (California, New York, Florida, Massachusetts) and the four international cities with the largest number as well (Macau, Paris, London, Hong Kong).

Only 11 global properties won Five-Star Awards in all three categories for Hotel, Restaurant, and Spa, and one of those, The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, is one of our celebrated hotel partners.

“This year’s Star-Rated properties — the largest and most global group in the company’s history — achieved an impeccable standard of excellence in hospitality, underscoring our overall mission of positively contributing to the international tourism industry as well as the individual hotel experience,” said Gerard J. Inzerillo, Chief Executive Officer of Forbes Travel Guide, in an official press release.

“We are excited to recognize the 2017 Star Rating recipients, an exceptional collection of hotels, restaurants, and spas with a strong culture of service.”

Millennials will not just be the next largest demographic of hotel guests that the hospitality industry serves. They will also be the largest demographic employed in hotels.

There are a number of reasons that Millennials are hot on the radar of today’s hoteliers when it comes to marketing and general guest relation strategy.

• Millennial travel spend will reach $1.4 trillion< annually by 2020.
• Millennials travel more than other demographics (4.2 times per year for leisure, 4.7 times per year for work).
• Marriott estimates 50 percent of its guests will be Millennials by 2020.

Beyond just catering to Millennial hotel guests, hoteliers will also have to create the kind of workplace that will appeal to this demographic.

Hospitality accounts for one out of 11 jobs in the world, making it the largest employer in the world. And Millennials are already joining the hospitality workforce, not to mention the fact they will be the industry’s future leaders and decision makers.

Turnover among Millennial employees results in total costs of $30.5 billion annually.

Hilton Worldwide CEO Christopher Nassetta said that one of the industry’s greatest priorities moving forward should be embracing Millennial hotel workers and aiding to ease unemployment among the 71 million global adults under 29 years old, who account for more than half of the world’s population.

Nassetta said, “These young travelers add so much value to our business [but also face] serious and unprecedented challenges, namely the worst youth unemployment crisis in modern history.”

Creating a workplace that engages Millennials is a key consideration for hoteliers moving forward, especially as turnover among Millennial employees results in total costs of $30.5 billion annually. Here are 3 points of insight on engaging your Millennial hotel employees:

• Flexibility: Having flexible options is a top priority for Millennial employees, with 66 percent saying they would like more adjustable schedules and hours. It’s so important in fact that nearly half of Millennials would prefer flexibility to more pay.
• Innovation: In the same way that hotel technology and apps are used in guest rooms and as part of the guest experience to engage tech-savvy hotel guests, it can be a crucial tool in bridging the gap between “old” and “new” hospitality. A survey showed that 93 percent of Millennials value technology as one of the most important aspects of the workplace. Guest-facing technology has not been the only focus on innovation. Millennial hotel staff can benefit from cutting-edge enterprise hospitality software that increases productivity, automate tedious processes, and provide useful analytics to improve performance.

“We all want to do more meaningful work in less or with the same amount of time. Technology enables us to optimize how we spend our days,” said Jeff Vijungco, vice president, Global Talent at Adobe.

“Companies can have the most amazing perks but if you’re not able to produce work efficiently with the help of great people and technology, then massage rooms and roaming ‘cookie cart’ are meaningless.”

• Transparency: Open communication is necessary to integrate Millennial hotel staff. Almost 85 percent said they appreciate honest feedback and open communication policy. Currently, 23 percent of Millennial employees don’t feel they have a manager who effectively communicates. By strengthening connections between your staff of all ages, you can improve performance and retention rates across the board.

Forward-thinking hoteliers will begin to strategize around updating employee policies and the workplace environment to fully engage Millennial hotel staff. Speaking to hoteliers, Nassetta added, “We have an amazing opportunity to use our engine of opportunity to make hospitality a top career choice of the future.”

Read more about how Millennials are shaping hotels and the hospitality industry in general.

For more information on how hotel technology can benefit your staff and operations, schedule a free consultation with our industry experts.

Courtesy of 15Five.com:

 

INTELITY CEO and President, David Adelson, comments on hotel technology in 2017 and what trends the industry can expect to see on the rise.

A new day for the hospitality industry has dawned.

Hoteliers have finally recognized the significance of hotel technology and its correlation to the industry’s future success. I would say that 2016 was the year of awareness and planting the seeds for growth, with hoteliers testing the digital waters with widespread experiments involving mobile hotel apps, social media, and digital loyalty program engagement.

The future of hotel technology in 2017 will have to mark a progression in maturity for the industry. Conversations about the buzz phrase “high touch, high tech” have flourished for some time, and the next step is actual implementation in a more refined manner than we’ve seen in the past.

The move could mean a world of difference for the industry, separating properties and brands into the categories of innovative and fresh versus stagnate and out of touch.

Bigger Hotel Tech Budget

Hotel technology took a front-and-center position on the industry stage this year, with more investments than ever being made into creating a sound digital framework that extends from back-of-house infrastructure to guest-facing systems.

In fact, the average hotel technology budget in 2016 increased by 3.4 percent from only 3 years ago and now sits at about six percent. But as ROI reports come in showing the positive results of hotel technology upgrades on guest satisfaction and overall experience, justification of expanded tech budgets will become more fluid. This expansion will become more necessary to match rising guest expectations, competitive demands, and the required upgrades to support and maintain such a network of hospitality technology.

Adoption of Hotel Tech Across Lodging Segments

The primary early adopters of hotel technology fell within the luxury hospitality segment, but innovation has broadened accessibility and lowered price points, making cutting-edge hotel technology more of a reality for other segments as well. In 2016, it was actually midscale hotels that led in IT expenditure (7.3 percent), trailed by upscale hotels (6.1 percent) and luxury hotels (5.6 percent).

Overall more than half of all hoteliers reported increasing spending on hospitality technology trends and needs in 2016. Moving forward, it can be expected that all segments of the lodging industry will need to catch up to hotel guest expectations. Travelers have expressed a willingness to spend more on travel, but winning and retaining their business will be a matter of standing out and making them feel like they’re getting a quality experience. Surveys show that weak (or expensive) hotel WiFi and other digital limitations or shortcomings can hurt hospitality brand perception.

Even guests who prioritize price and budget when traveling will be looking into available packages of digital amenities with the expectation that limited- or select-service hotels will accommodate their basic needs with the same technologies so readily available in the average home. Most technologies, such as an app, are not considered to be a luxury frill anymore. They’ve become so common in the interactions between business and customer that they’re expected at this point, even from the hospitality industry.

The Rise of Hotel Guest Room Technology

A major area of focus in 2016 was mobile technology and the front desk, with hotel apps, in particular, getting a spotlight. A number of hospitality brands and independent hotels centered their guest technology strategies around the rollout of a guest engagement app. More than half of hoteliers reported having a mobile app available for guest use in 2016, and another 21 percent said they planned to develop one in the near future.

The next step for hoteliers will be to focus on improvements to the guest room experience, an area that is in dire need of innovation. Most hotel rooms still largely look the same as they did 10 years ago, but this doesn’t match up with guest expectations or desires. In the next year, hoteliers are going to need a reexamination of the hotel and its appeal to modern travelers (namely tech native Millennial travelers), and the guest room is key to this overhaul.

Hotelier surveys reveal the following sample of interests for 2017 and beyond when it comes to guest room technology:

• 14 percent of hoteliers reportedly plan to install or upgrade in-room tablets
• 39 percent plan to implement hotel room mobile key
• 31 percent have an interest in room controls (or hotel room automation) systems
• 28 percent would like to upgrade or install smart TVs in hotel rooms

Better Back-of-House Streamlining

One of the most unrealized capabilities of hotel technology, even guest-facing systems, are potential to increase back-end efficiencies in multiple departments, from housekeeping to food and beverage to marketing. Enabling staff with the technology to improve their performance, lighten their load, and provide more insight, in general, could help reduce turnover and increase hotel staff satisfaction. This could be critical to increasing guest satisfaction since staff members are the ones who have to interact with guests in a positive manner.

The industry has only touched the surface of how cutting-edge technology can be incorporated into hotel operations. The next year will be an opportunity for hoteliers to ramp up not only the surface of hospitality technology, those interfaces that directly touch guests but also the underlying framework that drives staff and procedures as well.

With the BYOD trend in hotels on the rise, hoteliers are facing challenges in meeting the expectations of both guests and staff who are carrying an increasing number of mobile devices. The benefits of mobile are plentiful, but ensuring efficient use throughout an organization can be difficult.

Availability of mobile device management (MDM) to the hospitality industry has brought about improvements in this arena by allowing hotels to take control of the hotel enterprise mobile technology trend.

Mobile device management (MDM) is defined as a solution that allows for “the administration of mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablet computers, laptops, and desktop computers.” It isn’t just a hotel technology trend buzzword. As more hotels see an increase in travelers carrying mobile devices and as hotel rooms become fitted for advanced technology, such as hotel in-room tablets, enterprise mobility tools are going to continue to increase in value to simplify these hotel technology upgrades.

Remote Management of Devices

With more connected devices on your property than staff, MDM solutions assist in monitoring and managing these in a more efficient way. For instance, many hotels are now installing in-room tablets in guest rooms as a way to improve guest service and engagement. Hotel MDM is the best way to easily get these up and running, as well as perform ongoing maintenance. Using MDM in hotels, devices on the network can be remote wiped or have diagnostics run for troubleshooting.

Regulation of Applications

Hotel apps are more popular than ever and providing complimentary access to these on hotel tablets has become extremely popular in the hospitality industry. Using a hotel MDM solution, hotel management can select which apps they want to load or disable on devices across the network to create a superior digital staff and guest experience.

Data Protection and Backup

Data management using a hotel MDM solution can reduce the risk of costly incidents relating to exposure and breach. Hoteliers can use mobile device management to protect data and prevent leaks or wipe data completely from unauthorized user devices.

Expanded Security Features

Security of hotel digital networks and guest data is a top priority for many hoteliers, and there’s been discussion over how to enhance hotel security when it comes to network use, especially from mobile devices. Hotel MDM use can allow for expansion of security measures, such as requiring authentication of all devices and active monitoring of registered devices. It can also allow for tracking the physical location of devices on the network to reduce hardware theft or loss.

Establishing Network Use Policies

Every hotel should have a policy in place regarding the use of any networks, and this policy should apply to staff and guests alike. A mobile device management solution can assist in enforcing and solidifying this policy by consolidating regulation in the hands of those overseeing the network. Useful features include defining WiFi settings, setting compliance guidelines, and optimizing the function of the network overall.

Read the first part of our series on Mobile Device Management for Hotels and Hospitality for more on the specific uses of this hotel technology trend.

Here are some travel safety tips you should be mindful of when you’re on the road away from home.

The thought of exploring a foreign nation is exciting. When traveling abroad, you get to experience new cultures, tempting food, new languages, and much more of the elements that make up our beautiful planet. Although traveling internationally is safe in most of the parts, it is still advisable to keep in mind these travel safety tips for peace of mind. Let’s check them out:

Travel insurance is a must

If you’ve planned an overseas vacation then you must get travel insurance. It protects your precious belongings, cover the medical expenses and help you out in case if you get stuck in a problem. In short, insurance is mandatory for people going to a foreign country.

Scan all the important documents

Just imagine a situation wherein you’ve lost all your important papers, your passport, your flight ticket etc. Horrible enough! That’s why you should have backup copies of your all important papers, including digital versions of them, just in case you happen to misplace them during your joyous trip.

Don’t carry everything important in a single bag

It might be tempting to keep traveler’s checks, credit cards, cash, passport etc in a small bag or wallet. But don’t make this common travel mistake. Keep your checks, IDs, cards, and cash in a hotel room safe or locked compartment. Separate identifying items and cash into different places. This safety tip could increase your peace of mind even while you’re away from your hotel room and exploring the area.

Before and after you stay

Do some homework before booking a hotel or any lodging options haphazardly. Choosing to stay in self-catering studio rooms is a good option as it offers greater flexibility and can easily fit in within your budget. Once you get the right accommodation, lock all valuables in a safe or locker and do not share your room number with anyone. Another thing to keep in mind is the peepholes. Yes, anyone can easily get a quick look of your room through small holes. To avoid this, just put a bandage or small piece of cloth over the peephole of your hotel room door.

Connect with the embassy

Before stepping inside the plane to take off for a new location, acquaint yourself with the designated country’s embassy. The embassy will send you alert messages if any sort of threat takes place in the designated area. In a natural calamity or in the aftermath of a terrorist attack, you’ll want the embassy to know you are still in the area so they can equip you with required help.

Get local

Monitor Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms. Although they don’t provide you genuine details, they’ll alert you to activities in places you need to stay away from. And avoid places with bustling crowds, political gatherings, riots, and protests.

Warily research ground transportation

Research ridesharing and taxi providers that are trustworthy and available without any hassle in the area. Do they accept cash or credit cards only? Is there any emergency number you can call if you get stuck in an emergency? If you’re thinking of using public transportation, check for a good mobile app that can provide you accurate updates about the transportation system in the chosen country or area.

This post was submitted by Lana Marshall, who has worked at Space Apart Hotel for over seven years and has extensive knowledge of both the serviced apartments and the rental studio property market.