skift take
— Justin Dawes
Hotel executives have admitted for the first time that they are behind the times when it comes to new technology. The problem now is that travelers expect hotel technology to be as good or better than at home.
A panel discussion at HITEC in Toronto this week with executives from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Accor, Fairmont and others addressed the issue.
“I think we’re making progress, but we’re forced to turn our backs on the wall,” said Michael Levy, a founding partner of Dutch-based hotel chain CitizenM. “It’s a little embarrassing to be so late to the game, and I have a lot to catch up with.”
For example, many hotels still have cable TV and phones in their rooms, but consumer needs go beyond that.
Tariq Varani, senior vice president of global support services at Accor and global senior vice president of technology at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, said many hotel companies have lost track of what their customers really want. I believe there is.
“When you’re in a hotel, the basic comparison is bed first, shower second, then Wi-Fi, but maybe now Wi-Fi is first,” Varani said. “If you don’t get the basics right, it’s like the core plumbing of what we do. So problems like this really need to be solved and get to the basics.” There is a problem.”
Full guest profile
One of the key goals of hotel companies is to create a complete profile of each individual customer so that they can offer personalized service. This means establishing a trusted customer data system that is accessible to all departments of the business. A large hotel company is moving to a modern cloud-based data system to enable that transition.
Luxury brand Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has introduced technology to track top guest behavior, such as check-ins and restaurant reservations, to ensure hotel staff receive a higher level of service, according to global vice president Todd Wood. Chinese application and conversion.
“We put this in so that we can follow up with our guests, greet them, understand what they are doing and see if we can help,” said Wood.
This complete guest profile idea is gaining even more attention as it relates to hyper-personalization (allowing services to be customized based on specific customer interests) with the latest advances in artificial intelligence.
CitizenM’s Levie said, “I think generative AI with massive customization is going to be great if we can clean up the data and enable digital engagement with our guests.”
Sanovnik D’Estaing, executive director of the Bay Gardens Resort in St. Lucia, plans to adopt generative AI early.
“I don’t think the impact of AI is overstated. And we try to stay abreast of the latest trends and stay ahead of them as much as possible by attending conferences such as: [HITEC]”
D’Estaing said technology should cover everything, even to the point of allowing easy communication with guests, even before they arrive.
“Gen Z will be our main source market in the next five to 10 years, and they think and communicate differently,” D’Estaing said. “If your guests don’t already have a messaging app that allows them to communicate in that way, they should use it because people want to communicate that way.”
Varani said Accor is introducing “smart” thermostats as a way to meet guest demand for sustainable options.
“From a guest management perspective, it’s better than what we had before, which was nothing,” Varani said.
Especially with more and more technologies becoming available, there is a lot to consider. As the industry continues to determine how it will change, Wood of Mandarin suggested hoteliers keep one idea of his in mind.
“What’s the best experience you’ve ever had in terms of travel? And how did that happen?” he said. “And how can we provide that to our guests in the future so that they have the best experience every time? Different guests will be different and they will want different things.”
Photo courtesy: Le Splendid Hotel Lac d’Annecy is a member of Accor’s new handwritten collection.
