Request a Demo

A Blog by INTELITY

At Your Service

The latest innovation and trends in contactless guest experience and the products that are revolutionizing the service industry.

INTELITY

by

The Show Can Go On: How Hotel Technology Has Revolutionized Guest Room Entertainment

Three key ways in-room entertainment has been elevated thanks to hotel technology

The adoption of hotel technology has changed nearly every facet of today’s hotel stay. From mobile check-in that is powered by a branded mobile app to booking a spa appointment from an in-room tablet, technology in hospitality has, in many ways, mirrored the advancements in technology in nearly every other industry.

Take in-room dining for example. With a branded mobile app or a smart-room tablet placed bedside, guests can now view dining menus digitally, place their order, and then track its progress just like they would an order from their favorite taco shop on DoorDash.

But in-room dining isn’t the only portion of a hotel stay that has experienced a refresh thanks to technology in hospitality in recent years. Hotel technology has also greatly improved the in-room entertainment experience for hotel guests.

Here are a few ways smart-room tablets and other hotel technology can improve your guests’ room entertainment experience.

The Streaming Never Stops

According to an August 2023 TechCrunch article, streaming accounted for 38.7% of total U.S. TV usage, a new record high, and, in the past year alone, streaming usage has increased 25.3%. As more and more people take in their television via platforms like Netflix, Max, Hulu, and Disney+, hotels’ pricey cable TV subscriptions become less enticing. After a long day of business meetings, today’s hotel guests crave being able to retire to their rooms and pick up where they left off on their latest TV binge.

By enabling casting in your property’s rooms, you put guests in the driver’s seat for their entertainment. Using a solution like Google Chromecast, guests can stream content directly to their room’s television from their own device with no additional logins needed. On the operations side, cloud-based software eliminates the need for on-site servers, so casting can use scaled traffic management to minimize bandwidth requirements on your property. Plus, hotels can save money by cutting the cord on costly cable subscriptions.

Make Music Magic

Gone are the days of AM/FM in-room radios. Today’s guests want to listen to their own music playlists — and casting allows them to do just this. Similar to casting Netflix content to their in-room television, guests can also use Google Chromecast to play their Spotify playlist or Pandora station directly to the in-room TV. Additionally, bedside, smart-room tablets equipped with the Spotify app let guests create a comfortable environment to relax in.

Consume Content Digitally

Another form of entertainment becoming obsolete in hotels alongside cable subscriptions and AM/FM radios? Newspapers. According to a 2021 Pew Research study, 8 out of 10 Americans get their news from a digital source.

Instead of reading a physical newspaper alongside morning room service, today’s guests are opting to reach for a tablet, smartphone, or Kindle. By placing a smart-room tablet in your guest rooms, guests can read the latest headlines the way they prefer: digitally. This move to digital news consumption can also help your property save money on costly physical newspaper subscriptions, while also helping your property become more sustainable.

Interactive hotels that use technology to improve guests’ in-room entertainment options are becoming increasingly popular — and are saving hotels money in the process. Want to learn more about how technology in hospitality can improve your guest room entertainment? Request a demo today.

by

Smart Rooms, Smart Savings: How to Save Money with Smart-Room Tablets

Four key ways hotel smart rooms with in-room tablets can actually save your property money, while driving non-room revenue

When it comes to running a hotel, saving money is just as important as driving new revenue. One of the benefits of smart technology is that smart rooms equipped with in-room tablets can help your property do both of these things at once.

As hotel room technology continues to become more advanced, the adoption of smart-room tablets has become more widespread — and not just with luxury brands, but properties of all sizes have noticed the benefits of smart technology when it comes to saving money and increasing revenue.

Here are a few ways smart-room tablets can help your hotel save money immediately.

Eliminate Menu Printing Costs

One of the most common ways for a hotel to drive non-room revenue is through its in-room dining. However, long hold times and messy paper room service menus can be deterrents for guests. Deploying smart-room tablets bedside in each of your guest rooms allows your guests to review up-to-the-minute updated in-room dining menus digitally from wherever they are in their room without having to be tied down to the in-room phone. If an item sells out or if your chef decides to add a special menu item for the night, your staff can update the menu instantaneously without having to print out new copies — saving on paper and ink costs.

Save on Compendium Costs

Similar to in-room dining menus, hoteliers can also upload their property’s amenities, important information and latest offerings all directly to the smart-room tablet. Gone are the days of printing out updates and replacing used in-room compendium folders. Now, hoteliers can save that money by making all changes digitally.

Reduce Event Flyer Fees

Looking for a way to let guests know about an upcoming onsite yoga event or wine tasting night at your property? Similar to saving on compendium costs, a smart-room tablet can also showcase all of the information a front desk pamphlet normally would directly on its home screen. This makes browsing the most up-to-date onsite event information a seamless experience for guests, while cutting down on printing and paper costs.

Streamline Staffing

Smart rooms also help hotels save on staffing costs, which can be especially helpful during a staffing crunch. Instead of needing to assign a team member to answer room service phone calls and physically take down orders, smart-room tablets allow guests to order digitally via the bedside tablet and track their order just like they would on their favorite food delivery app. With smart room ordering, a guest’s dining ticket is sent directly to the kitchen for the staff to start prepping. Additionally, guests can place requests for extra towels or additional pillows directly from the smart-room tablet. Front desk staff no longer need to field these calls, allowing them to focus on more pressing tasks.

Whether it’s saving on physical costs or reducing staffing costs, smart rooms help hoteliers save money. Want to learn more about hotel room technology and how smart-room tablets can help your property conserve its resources? Request a demo today.

by

Benefits of a Tablet: How Smart-Room Tablets Increase Hotel Retail Revenue

There are many benefits of a tablet placed bedside in hotel rooms, including driving non-room revenue through guests’ retail purchases

If you haven’t made a digital retail store readily available to your hotel’s guests, you’re quite literally leaving money on the table. Don’t underestimate the possibilities of retail shopping to generate incremental non-room revenue for your property. Following the pandemic, it has become almost impossible to imagine a world without online shopping. According to Statista, 80% of all Americans shop online on a regular basis. And last year alone, e-commerce accounted for about $1.03 trillion in sales in the U.S. Additionally, it’s projected to hit $6.3 trillion globally by the end of 2023.

So, how can you as a hotelier utilize the benefits of a tablet to your advantage to drive non-room revenue? The following are a few ideas.

Shop the Gift Shop — From The Guest Room

Smart-room tablets that are positioned bedside are an easy way for guests who don’t want to download a property’s mobile app to still enjoy all the same conveniences hotel mobile apps have to offer, such as ordering in-room dining digitally, booking spa appointments, reviewing the latest hotel compendiums, and learning about current onsite activities, promotions, and amenities. But that’s not all. With smart-room tablets, guests can shop all of the items from your property’s gift shop from the comfort of their hotel room bed. Whether it’s hotel-branded T-shirts and yoga mats, lifestyle items that reflect your property’s vibe, or goods made by local artisans, all of your gift shop’s offerings can be easily browsed and purchased via a smart-room tablet, providing a familiar shopping experience for online consumers. Additionally, while in the comfort of their own hotel rooms, guests may be more inclined to make a purchase digitally that they might otherwise have forgone, or not even known about.

For big-ticket shoppers, a digital storefront on smart-room tablets also can be used to purchase the art pieces on display at your property or in-room furnishings, such as the pillows and bedding used in your guest rooms.

Browse Spa Offerings While Lounging in Their Rooms

Similar to a digital gift shop storefront, hoteliers can increase hotel revenue by making the products from their spa available for purchase through smart-room tablets. See a guest who recently completed a 90-minute massage at your spa? Send them a follow-up email asking their opinion of the service and provide links to the products the masseuse used during the massage that connects directly to your digital storefront. Similar to the gift shop, a spa’s storefront can offer high-end cosmetics, locally-made lotions and candles, and even towels and robes.

Increase Hotel Revenue By Increasing Productivity

On the operations side, a digital storefront is a straightforward way for staff to add and manage inventory, set availability, hide or reveal items as necessary, and use promotions and guest messaging to create awareness. Charges can be automatically added to the guest’s folio so no additional form of payment is required. Additionally, front desk staff won’t be tied up with guests waiting in line to purchase a hotel-branded hat and, instead, can tend to more urgent needs — reducing wait times and creating a happier staff and guest experience.

 

Want to learn more about the benefits of a tablet in an in-room setting? Curious how to increase revenue in hotels using smart-room tablets? Request a demo today.

by

7 Reasons Guests Love Smart-Rooms

Smart hotel rooms have taken the hospitality industry by storm, here are 7 reasons why guests love them

After years of technology playing a role in almost every aspect of our daily lives, more and more hotels are now turning their guest rooms into smart hotel rooms to deliver a more interconnected and personalized guest experience.

To start, let’s define what a smart hotel room is and answer the question, what is smart room technology? Smart rooms are rooms connected to network servers that allow the use of the Internet of Things (IoT), and examples of smart room technology include smart TVs, smart thermostats, bedside smart-room tablets, and voice command capabilities.

So, why are more and more guests craving stays at smart hotels? Here are seven reasons.

  1. Smart-Room Tablets Are the Perfect Room Companion

While mobile check-in and mobile key capabilities via branded mobile apps definitely have a slew of benefits, many guests enjoy not having to rely on their personal devices to access hotel features once in their hotel room. Today’s guests find it more convenient to lean over and adjust the in-room temperature or order room service via the bedside smart-room tablet. A dedicated device that acts as the room command center offers guests control capabilities, as well as additional convenience.

  1. They Can Watch What They Want

Today’s TV consumption is largely centered around streaming. Guests are accustomed to using their streaming services at home to watch their favorite shows and seek to have that same experience while on a business trip or a vacation. That’s why guests appreciate, and in many cases expect, casting capabilities. Now, they can continue to binge-watch “Stranger Things” on Netflix while out of town on a business meeting.

  1. Voice Commands Appeal To All Ages

While smart hotel rooms may have a greater appeal to younger travelers, there’s no denying that all generations love the voice features that come with a more interconnected space. Consumers of all ages are accustomed to using Alexa, Siri, or “Okay Google” in their daily lives to play their music, set an alarm, or send a text. With voice command capabilities in their hotel room, guests can be in control of their space whether they’re in bed, working at the desk, or enjoying a bath.

  1. Temperature Discomfort is Eliminated

Just about every traveler has a horror story about a time when their in-room heating or air conditioning didn’t work properly. Guests love smart thermostats because it’s simple to adjust the in-room temperature. And if there’s an issue, using a smart-room tablet, they can quickly put in a service request for the problem to be fixed. Smart-room thermostats, as well as in-room lighting controls, can be easily adjusted via a smart-room tablet and can drastically make a difference in keeping guests comfortable in their rooms.

  1. Smart Technology Improves Luxury

Smart hotel rooms undeniably add a touch of luxury to any hotel. A sleek smart-room tablet, in particular, brings an upscale element, and allowing guests to dim the lights, message staff, or place in-room dining orders while lounging on their in-room bed or balcony is just icing on the cake. Plus, tablets make guests feel like the hotel staff is always at their service just a few taps away.

  1. Smart-Room Tablets Show Guests What They Didn’t Know They Needed

Tablets provide the perfect avenue for guests to discover activities, browse the gift shop, or even learn about special hotel promotions, which are all easy ways to drive non-room revenue. Tablets have more screen space than mobile devices, so graphics and banners look crisper and draw more attention. Offering personalized promotions — such as 10% off at the hotel restaurant or lobby lounge — can increase revenue.

  1. Smart-Rooms Make the Guest the Center of The Universe

In a smart hotel room, everything can be tailored to the current guest — from the temperature, to the TV, to the lighting. And for returning guests, preferences can be saved, so they can return to a room that feels like a second home.

 

Want to learn more about smart hotel rooms and how to deploy this technology at your property? Request a demo today.

by

Numbers Don’t Lie: How to Increase Hotel Revenue Using Data

For properties wondering how to increase hotel revenue, the answer lies in data aggregation

Driving non-room revenue is one of the key goals for almost all hoteliers and hotel operators. But what if maximizing revenue was easier than you think? There are many ways hoteliers can increase non-room revenue, but the clearest answer lies in hotel technology. Deploying a staff operations hub that not only lets hotel staff streamline operations and increase guest satisfaction but also tracks guest behaviors and data is key for when it comes to upselling and maximizing revenue.

Want to learn how to increase hotel revenue at your property by using guest data? Here are a few ways.

Increase Forced Modifiers

By utilizing a staff operations hub, a hotel’s team can elevate guest interactions by streamlining their day-to-day operations. Additionally, a staff operations hub can field service and maintenance requests, while keeping up with preventative maintenance and work orders, all from one ticketing hub. The hub also allows your team to manage the content of additional technology offerings — such as a hotel branded mobile app and bedside smart-room tablets — all from one place. But possibly most helpful of all, a staff operations hub allows hotel operators to track guest behaviors and use this data to drive non-room revenue.

Take in-room dining, for example. Using a staff operations hub, data can show hoteliers what guests typically order alongside their steak dinner. This then creates the perfect upsell opportunity by using the property’s platform to suggest a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon or a side salad for guests who order a steak and a local craft beer or a side of fries for guests who order the pub burger. These data-driven forced modifiers answer the timeless question of how to increase hotel revenue.

Improve Marketing Turnaround

Using branded mobile apps and smart room technology, such as in-room tablets, hotels can market directly to guests when they’re onsite. Using data, hoteliers can see when guests are most active on the tablets or app and, thus, more likely to interact with promotions. For example, if a hotelier sees that guests are most active on smart-room tablets from 2 pm to 4 pm, then they have a two-hour window to push out notifications that can promote 20% off all spa treatments for the rest of the day, share happy hour specials going on in the bar, or notify guests about the local jazz trio playing in the restaurant that night. If guest interaction is higher, guest engagement will likely be higher as well, maximizing revenue for the property.

Personalized Service

Data also provides hotels and their staff the ability to anticipate guest needs. In some cases with repeat visitors, hotels can make a positive impact on the guest experience even before check-in begins. By analyzing and using data effectively, a hotel can already know what its incoming guests are like, prompting a customized pre-arrival upsell email with relevant amenity offerings and room upgrade suggestions. Data can help hoteliers identify patterns in guest activity, gain a deeper understanding of their needs, and drive non-room revenue, while providing an improved stay for the guest.

Wondering how to increase hotel revenue at your property by utilizing data? Request a demo today to learn more.

by

From Boutiques to Big Brands: How to Make Smart Choices When Investing in Hospitality Technology

3 key factors to keep in mind when making your next hotel tech investment

According to Unifocus, 81% of hoteliers in 2022 reported implementing and/or planning at least one major tech project. Whether you’re responsible for managing a single boutique hotel or a large chain of branded properties, it’s impossible to ignore the increasing upsides of investing in hotel tech. From seamless mobile check-in offerings to digital access to services, amenities and hotel staff, it’s easy to see why guests find increased value from tech-enabled interactions. Meeting expectations in this area is often rewarded with higher guest satisfaction and repeat business.

While the advantages of offering a digital-first hospitality experience are clear, it can be difficult to navigate the sea of options on the market. Here are a few strategies you can apply when looking to make smart choices that optimize the return on your tech investment.

Look for Ease of Use

If you’re deciding which hotel tech options to upgrade next, consider the importance of selecting a known platform that will make implementation a breeze. In a recent survey, 1 in 4 small independent hotels cited complexity as the biggest challenge for adopting new technology, and 1 in 3 indicated ease of use as the priority when choosing what tech to purchase. Regardless of the hotel or chain size, investing in any upgrades only to have them fall flat during implementation can be frustrating. Make sure when you select a hotel tech platform that it offers around-the-clock customer support in case something does go wrong. This can also ensure the implementation process will be a smooth one.

Embrace Mobile Technology

Cost is also a key factor in making coveted technology upgrades, but there’s good news for hotels of all sizes. According to Scotland-based hospitality firm Criton, guests’ mobile devices are “recognized as an essential tool for delivering and improving their travel experience.” More than 60% of respondents report using a hotel’s app, and 74% of guests said they would use this option if their favorite hotel offered it.

A branded hotel mobile app is a great way to personalize the guest experience. Using a branded mobile app, guests can check-in ahead of arrival, and, with keyless entry integration, head straight to their rooms to securely unlock their hotel room door using their phone as the key. Branded mobile apps also streamline the in-room dining process — allowing guests to view up-to-date menus and place orders all from the mobile app, just like they would DoorDash or Uber Eats. Also, guests can book spa appointments, browse hotel compendiums and request additional toiletries all with just a few taps of their smartphone.

A branded mobile app can provide a lower entry-point financially, while engaging guests and increasing loyalty. With a branded app solution, you’re also reaching guests long after they’re gone, increasing the opportunities for a repeat stay.

Hold Out for a Multi-Point Platform

While it may be tempting to select the most popular one-point solutions and try to fit them all together, you could be setting your property up for a tech stack nightmare. To ensure tech investments are worth their space in the budget, start with a platform that offers comprehensive solutions and exceptional support. Complexity doesn’t have to be an issue, and ease of use should be the expectation. Both components will lead to greater adoption and ultimately, value.

Want to learn more about how to deploy hotel tech at your property? Request a demo today.