Chapter-6 Guest Centric Technologies “The good news is that the PMS market has seldom seen such a variety of different approaches to solving your prop-trey’s automation needs. The further good news is...

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After reading Chapter 6: Guest Centric Technologies, consider your own experience(s) in a hotel, bed and breakfast, Airbnb, or other hospitality setting.


1. How did technology affect your experience (positive, negative, etc.)?


2. What are some systems mentioned in the chapter that you were not aware of?


3. What kind of technology do you believe is essential for an ideal guest experience in 2022?




Chapter-6 Guest Centric Technologies “The good news is that the PMS market has seldom seen such a variety of different approaches to solving your prop-trey’s automation needs. The further good news is that the systems available have never been better for what is still the key system, the hub around which all other property systems revolve and in which you collect a huge amount of highly valuable guest data.” Jon Inge, Hotel Systems/Technology Consult. Technology in the Room: Historic View “Home away from home!” This is how we would like to express what hotels mean to our guests. For this to happen, we must provide technologies that guests use in their home. Figure 6-1 shows how hotels followed the in-home technologies to create the feeling of “home” for their guests. Only after the 1970s, we started to see some of the advancements in the guestroom. In the past, most hotels provided better technology and amenities compared to many guests’ own homes. However, today’s guests often have better technology and amenities at their homes: high-speed Internet, voice assistants (e.g., Alexa), streaming media (e.g., Netflix), smart TVs, and IoT-enabled devices (e.g., smart thermostat). Hotel guests now expect guestrooms to feel like their homes. “Personalization of the guest experience is the next frontier,” according to Gretchen Hartley, senior director, global design at Marriott International. Of course, the main purpose of the guestroom has never changed to provide a clean, safe place to spend the night. In 1970, for the first time, hoteliers put ice cube makers and small refrigerators inside the guest room. In the beginning, not all rooms would have them. Usually, those rooms that had these special “amenities” were charged more than the other rooms. In 1972, the first models of telephone systems were introduced to the guestroom. In those days, there was only one telephone line for the entire hotel; therefore, guests sometimes waited long hours before they could place a call. In 1975, after color TV was well established in homes, hotels started to offer it. In the beginning, some of the hotels advertised that they had color TVs to differentiate them from the competition and charged extra for rooms with them. In 1980, Hotel Billing Information System (HOBIC) was introduced. In 1981, it became legal for hotels to make a profit from phone calls. This is when the use of call accounting systems exploded in the hotel industry. In 1986, electronic door-keys were introduced, increasing the security and the convenience of guests. In 1990, an interface between the hotel TV systems and PMS was established so that the guests could see their bills through in-room TVs. By 1993, guests were able to checkout from their in-room TVs. In 1995, high speed Internet access was available in hotel rooms. After 2000, hotels started to use voice over Internet Protocol (IP) phoning systems, high-definition TV, wireless Internet access, interactive entertainment systems, smart energy management systems, and many other systems that we will be addressed in this chapter. A growing number of customer apps (e.g., reservations and concierge services) are cloud based. In 2016, smart TVs started to be used in hotel rooms, allowing guests to connect their devices to them for streaming their personal content. Keyless entry systems were introduced in 2016 enabling guests to open hotel rooms with their smart phones. Robots are now being used in hotels and restaurants for performing a variety of tasks, such as luggage storage and delivery (see Chapter 12). More hospitality companies are using insights from big data to customize and enhance customer experiences in new and targeted ways. For example, hoteliers are using big data to identify those guests who crave quiet environments, rooming them in secluded areas of the hotel and avoiding room changes. Finally, hoteliers are also now considering hyper personalized tech offerings in the guestrooms, such as “beds that adjust firmness to guest preferences, automatic coffee makers with built-in Wi-Fi to provide weather and news updates, and biometric bathroom tiles that report on a guest’s health. These types of personalized touches could become mainstream in the next few years.” (https://hospitalitytech.com/ guestroom-future-hyper-personalized-hyper-connected) The Big Picture- Today, technology is an indispensable part of the operations of hotels. It is almost impossible to imagine a hotel without any technology systems. On the most basic level, a hotel, even the smallest one, most likely has a property management system. Technology does not only increase the efficiency of the staff members, but also enhances the experience of the guests (in some cases it decreases). Figure 6-2 shows the typical technologies in a hotel. In a 1000-room full-service hotel (i.e., Marriott Hotel), there are more than 60 different systems. In a limited-service hotel (i.e., Courtyard), this number could be as many as 35. These numbers show the dependence of hotels on technology. Many of these systems are “mission critical” systems. This means that if the system does not work, the hotel cannot operate efficiently. For example, if the central reservation system or the reservation website does not work, the hotel cannot receive any reservations, which will impact the business directly. The hospitality industry in general is maturing in its use and investment in technology. What used to be considered “technology for the sake of technology” (because hotels were notorious buyers of products that either failed to work as promised or simply provided no benefit to the operation) has changed over the last decade. Many products foisted on hotels in the mid-to-late 1990s are now represented by companies that are either out of business or simply no longer support the product they once sold. Out of the 12 hospitality technology vendors that placed an ad in the first issue of Hospitality Upgrade magazine in 1992, only 3 of them are still in business today (Hospitality Upgrade, Spring 2007). As technology matures in the hospitality industry, so do the technology vendors. Hotels are finding new ways to use technology for a strategic advantage. For example, Mandarin Oriental is keeping track of the fruits eaten by guests. These records are kept in the guest’s profile. When a fruit basket is sent the next time the guest visits the hotel, it is dominated by the fruits that the guest likes. This creates a “wow” factor since it is not directly solicited, rather, quietly observed and recorded with the help of proper training and technology. The airline industry’s product is a seat, which became a commodity a long time ago. In the contemporary age, travelers do not necessarily care about which carrier will take them from point A to point B. Price seems to be the most important factor in selecting an air carrier. The Hotel industry is showing similar symptoms. As in the example of the Mandarin Oriental, hoteliers are turning to technology to create a “differentiation” so that they do not become a commodity in the eyes of guests. Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology in Hotels In the following sections, we will look at the technologies in the guest room. A technology system should be viewed as a tool for solving problems and effectively managing information, but, even more importantly, it will improve profitability through more effective utilization of resources. The key advantages of technology are as follows: 1. Improved labor productivity and organization efficiency 2. Enhanced decision-making capability in less time 3. Reduced operating costs 4. Increased information accuracy 5. Increased revenues 6. Greater guest satisfaction and loyalty 7. Improved controls 8. Ease of use. While technology brings great advantages to hotels, there are also some disadvantages. Some of them can be categorized as follows: 1. Security 2. Ergonomics 3. Cost 4. Upgrades and maintenance For example, security issues can be a real disadvantage of technology. Let’s take wireless Internet access at a public meeting area in a hotel. Even though wireless Internet access provides great convenience to guests and staff, it may pose a serious security risk. Therefore, before utilizing wireless Internet in a hotel environment, technology managers need to assess the risks associated with it and take precautions, such as using a wireless security protocol (i.e.,WPA; defined as a set of protocols that secures data when transmitted wirelessly) or having the guests accept a disclaimer. Guests are traveling with a growing number of personal devices and their own information and entertainment content. In terms of ergonomics, poorly designed guestrooms inconvenience guests by not providing them with adequate and easy-to-reach plugs and the seating and surfaces they need. Cost also can be a disadvantage of technology. Every day, the prices of technology decline. However, if an organization waits for the prices to drop to a lower level, it may be too late. So, even though you know that the prices will fall tomorrow, the organization may need to invest in them today. Finally, upgrades and maintenance can be a disadvantage because if systems are not regularly updated and maintained, they will be less efficient and will harm the business instead of helping it. Hotel guests expect seamless connectivity across platforms and devices. They want to be self-sufficient and independent with mobile apps. In Room Technologies In today’s modern hotel rooms, it is very possible to see the following technologies that make the guest stay a more comfortable one: 1. Electronic Locking System 2. Energy Management & Climate Control Systems 3. Fire Alarm & Security Systems 4. In-room Minibars 5. In-room safe boxes 6. Guestroom Phone System 7. Voice-mail/Wake-up Systems 8. In-room Entertainment Systems 9. Guestroom control panels 10. Self-check-in/out systems Now, let’s look at each of these systems in more detail. Self Check-In/Out Systems High-tech or high-touch? This is the question that many hoteliers would like to answer. Even though we are in the service industry, there are cases where our guests do not want personalized service, and they just want to do the job by themselves. Checking-in and checking-out are two of them. According to BusinessWeek magazine,11 business travelers will expect self-service technologies from airlines and hotels like they expect ATMs from banks. Business travelers repeatedly indicated in surveys that they hate to wait in line when they are checking in or checking out from a hotel. Here is when the self-check-in/check-out technology comes into play. For the typical airline, kiosks process approximately 40 percent of check-ins, reducing costs approximately $32 million dollars annually on a baseline of labor costs for check-in of $118 million dollars per year.12 For the typical hotel, one study showed that self-check-in/check-out technologies can generate a savings of 15 to 20 percent on staffing References 1. Elis, R. (April 2004). “Lodging has seen rapid advances in fire safety and security.” Hospitality Technology, 8 (3). 2. Shenglin Y
Answered Same DayFeb 18, 2022

Answer To: Chapter-6 Guest Centric Technologies “The good news is that the PMS market has seldom seen such a...

Dr Prageetha G answered on Feb 18 2022
106 Votes
Introduction: Hotels are customer-centric thus, keeping up with customer preferences and requirements are essential. Therefore, every hotel is focussing on creating a guest experience called, ‘home away from home’. Wilkis et al (2007) defined guest experience as a response (both cognitive and affective) resulting from the interface between the guest and the service. Hotels create this experience using technology termed as Guest Centric Technologies. To elaborate, Internet, apps, cloud based applications, IoT enabled devices, streaming media, Artificial Intelligence, electronic systems, and information systems are used to create a ‘home away from home experience’. Today, technology is an indispensable part of hotel operations across the world and it is difficult to imagine a hotel without technology systems in place. Even the smallest of a hotel, at a very basic level is likely to have a property management system.
The focus of assignment: I talk about my experience at Vivanta hotel, a 5 star hotel located at the metropolitan city, Bengaluru, in India. Vivanta has three types of guest rooms, viz., Superior,...
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