Today with technological evolution it is safe to say that most of our work is being influenced via the latest innovations. Similarly, the marriage between travel and technology has also lead to a massive transformation in the hospitality and tourism sector. Customers have everything on their fingertips, right from itinerary, hotels to tourist spots and booking facilities to all these.
At a recent panel hosted by Expedia, experts discussed innovation within the hotel industry and the effects of digital disruption.
Today technology is being adopted at an unprecedented rate in the travel and tourism industry catering to the comfort of travelers and residents. For example, Crown Group-owned Skye Hotel and Suites which has been around since the past few years have implemented technology to ease the discomfort of travelers and provide them with all the comforts which otherwise would be only limited to their homes. They have given iPads in all of their guestrooms, which transforms into a virtual concierge that synchronizes to an app which guests use when they make a booking. This app once downloaded also converts into a digital key which can be used instead of hardcore so the guests can access their guestroom, essential amenities, and lifts in the hotels.
Some hotels have also implemented cloud-based systems for all their operating systems which can be very well seen in the case of a hotel in Australia. As an administrator for all their brands, the hotel in-charge can access all their energy efficiency tools, any of their property management system, including the music system. Every system that is operated, the administrator has the same on his smartphone. Experts have noted that the significant areas of innovation in the travel & hospitality sector are the emergence of tech giants and conglomerates entering into the travel space, in particular like Google and Alibaba, who are interested in how they can interact with the travel ecosystem. And, another critical area of innovation is the rise of the product applications for hotels of all sizes to communicate with their guests effectively.
These tools and applications can interact with the guests about their fulfillment of the transaction, making the booking process more manageable with the hotel, how the hotel needs to communicate with the customers before the stay, all this and much more can be controlled but the hotel entirely through technology products. Through these products, they will not only be able to have enhanced customer service but can also keep track of customer loyalty.
