Comfortable accommodation, warm hosts and excellent service are still the cornerstones of a good stay. What has changed in recent years, however, is the growing belief among hoteliers that the right technologies can enhance and improve the guest experience and hotel operations. But what are the next big technology trends in the hotel industry that are on the rise? We give you an overview of the most important hotel technologies in 2018!
Developments that you will also encounter in 2018
Hotel trend #1: Digitalisation as a strategy
The hotel and hospitality industry has been working on the digitalisation of its processes for a few years now, whether it’s bookings, communication with guests or work processes in the front and back office. The trend in 2018 is clearly moving more and more towards digitalisation being firmly anchored in the business strategy in order to take full advantage of its benefits. According to the benchmark study “Digitalisierungsindex Mittelstand” by techconsult on behalf of Deutsche Telekom, the number of companies that have firmly integrated digitalisation into their business strategy has tripled to 32% compared to last year. A further 41 per cent are implementing individual digital projects, such as guest Wi-Fi or online bookings. With a digitalisation index of 52 points, the hospitality industry is still slightly below average, but has been able to improve by a total of three points within a year and thus drive customer relationships, productivity and sales. Digitalisation is now much more than a trend: it is a strategy!
Hotel trend #2: Digital communication & guest experience
Guests want to be looked after individually and at the same time use modern technology to improve the guest experience. With the help of some digital tools, hotels are making the digital guest journey more efficient, more targeted and more personalised. Technologies (e.g. hotel software, Digital Guest Directory, mobile hotel app, hotel newspaper, hotel TV, digital travel guide, digital staff management, real-time messaging, chatbots, etc.) improve the guest experience, increase satisfaction, build guest loyalty and save valuable working time. This makes it all the more important to communicate digitally with guests! After all, most people nowadays prefer to send quick text messages or search for information on their mobile phones instead of calling. Hotels should capitalise on this preference and offer guests as many different touchpoints as possible. The implementation of digital communication tools is no longer just an option, but an effective communication channel that every hotelier should utilise.
Trends coming your way in 2018:
Hotel trend #3: Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is THE trend of 2018! As artificial intelligence (AI) is relatively new, many companies are still in the planning and experimentation phase. Processes and actions that previously required human intervention can now largely be replaced or supplemented by automated artificialintelligence. After all, computers can store huge amounts of data and even imitate human interaction using programmed algorithms. Chatbots are one example of this: they answer guests’ questions immediately, help with room bookings or manage existing reservations. Such features are very promising for the hotel industry as they save on staff costs, support guest satisfaction through real-time service and are a welcome alternative, especially with regard to different time zones and languages. However, human interaction should never be completely replaced by AI, because what would a stay be without personal contact? The fact is: AI is not becoming a futuristic technology, but an integrated and effective everyday tool.
In the next section, we have summarised four other technologies that will have a major impact on the hotel industry in the coming years: Voice control, service robots, virtual reality and the Internet of Things. Stay tuned!
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