The hospitality industry in India is expected to grow by around 10.5% in the next year. This will automatically result in a direct demand increase of 8,200 crore in the market. Do you know what this increase in demand means?
It means that there will be more competition, making it tougher for hoteliers to make it big. Well, one effective way of winning this battle is to integrate technology into hospitality practices.
Technological advancements are changing the ways of the world and the hospitality industry is not an exception to that. If a hotelier wants to experience growth and success, they will have to embrace the technological trends in the hospitality industry.
Big hotel chains are utilizing a variety of hotel software programs, technology features, and other strategies to elevate their offerings. This simplifies the process of customer satisfaction and helps you take your hotel to the next level. So, believe it or not, integrating these things is the only way in which you can keep up with the competitive market.
Are you considering bringing these advancements to your hotel? Then, we think this blog will be of much help. Here, we will tell you about the different technological advancements that have taken place in the hospital industry.
What is Hotel Technology and Why is It Important?
Integrating technological advancements in your hotel will not be easy if you do not know what exactly it means. So, let us first discuss the basics of this before moving any further. Discussing the basics always makes it easier for individuals to understand everything in depth.
What Does Hotel Technology Entail?
Hotel technology is something that is designed to simplify operations for people in the hospitality industry. It transforms operations and helps in reaching goals in a faster and more effective manner.
This is not something that we just believe in. According to some surveys, around 81% of hoteliers believe that technology advancements will take over the industry in the next half a decade.
Technological advancements in the hospitality industry that benefit the guests mainly include features like soundproof windows, remote-controlled amenities, and others.
On the other hand, technological advancements that benefit hotel management include several hospital software like the ones for accurate data analysis, revenue management, and others. More than 70% of the hotels have signed up to use these tech tools, thus proving this is more of a global shift.
Understanding Its Importance
Technological advancements hold importance for a wide variety of reasons.
Higher Revenue
The right use of technology helps in increasing the revenue of the company. The higher the RevPAR*, the more will be the number of efficient teams, directly resulting in improved scores of guest reviews.
Risk Detection
Technical tools help to foresee potential issues, thus making it easier for you to avoid them in the first place. Thus, making it easier for hoteliers to shape up their services and expenses.
Cost Minimizing
Technological advancements help in lowering the overall cost by a substantial amount. Thus, making it easier for you as a hotel owner to use this newfound surplus in areas that need improvement.
Tailored Services
Hoteliers are using technological advancements like data analytics to shape their services according to the shifts in the industry. Thus, making their services more appropriate for the consumer market.
*RevPAR: This stands for revenue available per room. This metric is used by hoteliers to determine the overall performance of the hotel. This number is calculated by dividing the total revenue collected from hotel guestrooms by the total number of rooms in the hotel and the number of days of occupancy.
Top 15 Trends to Implement
Well, when it comes to the latest trends in the hospitality industry, there is truly a never-ending list. Hotels are adapting their watts according to the rapid technological advancements to match the trends and requirements of the industry.
Plus, the majority of today’s travelers are people who prefer using technological substitutes for even the most traditional things. So, adapting to the recent advancements even makes it easier for hotel owners to become more appealing to their customers. Some of the technological advancements that are taking hotels to the next level include:
1. Artificial Intelligence
AI or Artificial Intelligence is transforming the ways of the world. This is something that has helped many industries and hospitality is definitely not an exception to it. This is a common belief among 58% of the guests that AI is changing the industry for good.
Hotel owners are using AI to carefully use all the data to make better operational decisions, and marketing strategies, and improve customer service as a whole. This is why hotels use AI to set prices based on season and demand, adding new features, hotel amenities, and other changes.
2. Cyber Security
Using high-tech hotel software does not mean you are exempted from security threats. There are a wide range of things that can happen when you are dealing with sensitive data related to your guests. According to data collected from 24 countries, around 38% of the 218 data breach investigations occurred during hotel transactions, like bookings and payments.
This is why hotels tend to keep a few protocols in place to safeguard from these threats. This includes keeping a separate network for guests, using a VPN for using the web and changing features after every few months. These are undoubtedly some of the most effective ways to keep data safe.
3. Hotel Apps
Many hotels have their own apps designed to offer a more personalized feel to their guests. These apps come with wide new features like virtual hotel tours, managing bookings, and an easy option to contact the hotel staff. Moreover, some apps also let you control the hotel amenities in your room. For instance, you can control the lights in your rooms, turn off or on the TV, and do other exciting things.
4. Energy-saving Technology
Well, living in the age of rapid global warming, it has definitely become important for us to choose processes that do not negatively affect the environment around us. Well, using energy-efficient technology is definitely a major part of this. This includes technological advancements like sensors that turn off the power of the room as soon as the room is empty.
Plus, there are also other things like LED lights that consume around 27% less energy than the normal ones. Soundproof windows are also something that helps to create a soothing ambiance inside the room all while saving energy. This eliminates the need for guests to turn off the lights and fans every time you are out so that less energy is consumed.
5. Smart Technology
This is something that works in close contact with technology and advancements. The concept of a smart hotel automatically makes it appealing to guests. This is all about adding voice-controlled amenities in the room that make it easy for guests to control lights, temperature, and even appliances with a simple voice command. All of these are often integrated with hotel software and apps that create a seamless experience for all.
6. Virtual Reality
Gone are the days when virtual reality was restricted to only movies. In this digital age, even hoteliers are making fair use of these things to design creative marketing strategies. There are many hotels that have made fair use of this technology to give a 360° tour of the hotel. This makes it easier for the guests to get a closer look at all the hotel amenities and structure, helping them make a better choice.
7. Chatbots
If there is one trend that has helped almost all sectors, then that is the Chatbot. Having someone present at all hours to answer customers’ queries is definitely not a feasible option for everyone. This is why having a Chatbot can help in offering round-the-clock service.
Moreover, this makes things easier for guests as 70% of guests prefer this over human interactions. These take in the guest requests and send them forward to the appropriate department. This automatically helps in finding fast solutions so that guests and potential customers do not feel left out.
8. Metasearch Bookings
Well, set this clear in your mind: Meta is definitely the future. This technology is transforming the entire booking process, increasing the booking by a whopping margin of 180%. This search engine makes fair use of things like Google, Kayak, TripAdvisor, and others to create comparative prices. This automatically increases the bookings through your website.
9. Everything Mobile
Decades ago, browsing the internet or booking a hotel room involved you using a computer setup with a moderate internet connection. But now, that thing has completely changed. This is the age of mobile phones, a gadget that fits everything in our palms.
This is exactly why hoteliers are now getting their websites designed in a more mobile-friendly way. This simplifies their process of check-ins and outs and helps them with those last-minute bookings.
10. Marketing via text message or WhatsApp
If you want to unleash the power of true marketing, then you will have to take help from social media. Hotel management is now using text messages and WhatsApp to send exciting deals to their customers.
This is one of the most effective ways in which one can increase their conversion rates and build more close relationships. Direct texts also increase your familiarity with the customers, thus helping in better customer service.
11. Facial Recognition
The latest trends in the hospitality industry happened after it garnered demand in the smartphone industry. Facial recognition is one of the best security features that helps you in keeping things safe and secure.
This helps in offering a more personalized approach to the customers so that their satisfaction is maintained. From getting access to the room to unveiling special VIP perks, this thing can be used in multiple ways.
12. A Property Management System
Property management systems are definitely a must for all hotels. Around 86% of hoteliers have reported to state that a property management system is undoubtedly the most important addition to their being. This is something that helps you keep your property well-maintained so that everything is top-notch.
From effective revenue management to payment management, this simplifies literally all processes for both the hoteliers and the guests. This is exactly what makes it even easier to create a suitable living condition for the guests.
13. The IoT
I0T stands for Internet of Things, a web of different devices. This is a network that binds all the devices used inside the hotel to create a better communication chain. This helps guests connect their phones and other devices to the hotel network so that they can use all the amenities properties. This includes hotel amenities like voice-controlled devices, digital key cards, and others.
14. Revenue Management System
This is one of those technological trends in the hospitality industry that has helped how the entire sector works. This is exactly why around 80% of hotel owners believe this system is one of their top helpful technical tools. This system is key to unlocking the potential for huge profitability.
This tool helps hoteliers increase their total revenue by a substantial rate while managing demand, lowering costs, and increasing efficiency. This way hoteliers get to improve their pricing and inventory management.
15. Virtual Concierge
The demands and needs of guests can arise at any hour of the day or night. This is why it is important to create a communication system that helps in offering them fast service. Virtual concierge is a technology that effectively reduces the stress of the front desk officials. This way, guests can handle requests themselves by offering everything through their devices. They do not have to wait long hours to receive service.
Conclusion
Improving customer satisfaction and operational efficiency can be tough when aimed at the same time. But with the help of advanced hotel technology, one can easily tackle both without much worry.
Through this blog, we have tried to make you aware of a few technological advancement trends in the hospitality industry, integrating which will help you achieve both of your goals. This, in the end, will help you to bring an overall change in your hotel, ultimately, pushing it more towards the path of success.
