In today’s digital landscape, travelers expect technology to be integrated into every experience — including their hotel stay — here’s how to meet guest expectations
Want to order dinner from your favorite restaurant, but don’t feel like leaving your couch? There’s an app for that. Need to get to the airport at 5 a.m. and don’t want to wake up your spouse? There’s an app for that. Have to get a car wash, but don’t have time? Don’t worry, there’s an app for that, too. In fact, there’s an app for just about everything today — and customers have come to expect technology integrations in all facets of their daily lives, including travel.
Curious about how to meet guest expectations when it comes to incorporating technology into the hotel stay? Then you’ve come to the right place. We have a few easy ways to fulfill guests’ travel tech expectations, even if you aren’t a “high-tech hotel.” But, first let’s answer the question: What is travel technology?
What is Travel Technology?
In simplest terms, travel technology means using tech to plan trips. There are many broad examples of this type of tech, from flight advisor apps that tell a user when to book a flight to travel-specific smartphones that allow a traveler to easily communicate when in other countries. Here, we’re going to focus on technology that seamlessly provides hotel guests with a digital experience — making their hotel stay easier and more relaxing.
The Hotel Tech Guests Expect
Today’s hotel guests, especially Millennial and Gen Z travelers, expect their hotel stay to be customized, seamless, and smart — and hotel technology, such as branded mobile apps and in-room tablets do just this. With more and more hotels offering mobile check-in and keyless entry, an increase of travelers are now expecting to have the option to bypass long lobby lines by checking in on their mobile device and heading straight to their rooms with a mobile key upon arrival.
Additionally, food delivery apps, such as DoorDash, have allowed today’s consumer to be accustomed to ordering and tracking their food orders from a smart device. Branded mobile apps and smart-room tablets incorporate this experience seamlessly into the hotel stay, letting guests order their meal digitally whenever, wherever they are on the property.
How to Incorporate Hotel Tech at Your Property
You don’t need to be a high-tech hotel in order to meet guests’ tech requirements. Starting with simple integrations like allowing guests to cast their favorite Netflix show to their in-room smart TV puts them in the driver’s seat of their in-room entertainment, while also allowing your property to save money by cutting expensive cable bills. In-room QR codes that allow guests to order in-room dining digitally from their mobile phone saves both your guests and your staff time from waiting on a phone call.
If you’re looking to take your hotel tech offerings a step further, well, there’s an app for that, too. Branded hotel mobile apps allow guests to seamlessly request additional towels, order and track in-room dining, review hotel compendiums, book spa appointments, digitally shop the gift shop, and more. Smart-room tablets placed bedside are another easy way for guests who don’t want to download an app to still interact with your property seamlessly. From digital in-room dining to adjusting room temperature and lighting controls, a smart-room tablet can make your property feel like it’s a high-tech hotel with just one additional item.
Interested in learning more about how to meet guest expectations with hotel technology? Request a demo today.
