The hospitality and travel industry is in a state of disruption, and hospitality and travel technology is transforming everything from day-to-day tasks to customer experience. The epicenter of this disruption relies on digital technologies, including Mobile Apps, Big Data Analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI), to help hospitality providers evolve and serve the best experience to their customers.

7 ways in which technology is reshaping the hospitality sector

1. Smart Check-In

Although checking in at the reception desk was a fundamental part of any hotel visit, the rise in travel technology seems to have played a role in removing this time-consuming task to the benefit of guests and staff.

By checking in online or via a mobile app, guests can control the process and add to the convenience of their stay through digital platforms that are both familiar and functional.

Advanced check-in technology has become a fundamental part of the hotel experience, offering a seamless, one-on-one communication platform for guests and keeping the relevant staff updated and informed.

2. Smart Room Keys

Another classic challenge for the travel market is lost or malfunctioning room keys. With the latest hotel and travel technology, guests can access their rooms using a mobile app. Furthermore, eliminating unreliable plastic key cards is great for your corporate image, the environment, and guest experience.

Hotels can automatically apply these smart keys to almost any feature or amenity, from allocating bills to a room to reserving particular parking spots for a set of guests and even learning the preferences of repeat customers.

3. Smart Energy Management

With some of the latest technology in the travel and hospitality industry, hotels can become smart environments, using sensors and smart energy management systems to maximize energy cost savings without sacrificing guest experience or overall comfort.

Smart energy-management systems make use of sophisticated machine-learning algorithms to continuously analyze historical thermodynamics, local weather patterns, and peak demand loads to optimize energy consumption in real time.

4. Smart Guest Experiences

No hotel can operate without guests, so hoteliers can expect to see travel technology further shape guest experiences and expectations. Guest data can help accommodate guest needs and also be used to automate guest interactions throughout their stay.

Employing smart hotel and travel technology make it possible for hotels to predict and personalize several guest services based on previous visits and aggregated guest data.

5. Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance (PdM) is focused on regularly inspecting a hotel's facilities and systems, such as the HVAC, plumbing, and lighting, to prevent unexpected scenarios.

As a maintenance strategy, PdM employs advanced downtime tracking software to analyze data and anticipate when maintenance should be performed on equipment.

6. Smart Marketing & Reputation Management

Marketing in the hospitality industry is a time and resource-consuming task. Enter smart technology.

Before hotels can deliver a smart guest experience, they must get guests through the door; that’s where smart marketing comes in. Data opportunities of travel technology offer hotels a clearer picture of their guests. Hotels that leverage data insight are the ones that will continue to succeed in the face of increased competition.

Smart marketing tech uses vast amounts of user-generated and collected data to create more targeted guest experiences.

7. Employee Engagement

Employee Engagement is also among the many benefits of smart hotel technology. While back-office automation minimizes many repetitive tasks that your human resources department deals with daily, guest room automation allows you to focus on relationship building and improved operations rather than getting caught up in time-consuming and routine activities. Furthermore, smart travel technology will also streamline customer interactions leading to an improved overall guest experience.

Conclusion

While considering the many advantages of hotel automation, remember that data privacy needs to be a top priority. Guests will only embrace the new smart environment if they are sure that any data shared is secure. Further, don't forget the importance of personal connection in setting your hotel apart. As cool as the possibility of luggage-carrying robots might seem, nothing beats being greeted with a friendly smile or human voice upon checking in.

Future travelers expect more from their hotels, and smart hotel and travel technology is definitely a step in the right direction.

Dive into ExploreTECH to find the best automation system for your hotel

With the extensive range of smart hotel and travel technology systems and Integrations available to the travel market and hospitality industry, the ExploreTECH marketplace allows users to explore, review, compare and select the vendor and solution that best suits their unique travel tech requirements and preferences. Each solution provider has particular benefits and features, so it is worth investigating and comparing them all via the ExploreTECH.io platform.

7 Ways Hospitality Technology Enhances Hotel Operations & Profitability