Smart hotel automation technology is changing everything from the homes we live in to how our cities are managed. The hospitality industry is no exception. In many ways, the hospitality industry is leading the charge in the adoption of smart business technology.
From operations to guest experience to marketing, smart hotel technology offers a variety of cost savings and revenue opportunities, and it is enabling hotel owners to reach new levels of profitability.
Here are 10 ways in which smart hotel technology will be reshaping the hotel industry in the very near future.
Smart thermostats and occupancy sensors can monitor and respond to fluctuations in occupancy. Likewise, smart energy-management systems use sophisticated machine-learning algorithms to continuously analyze historical thermodynamics, local weather patterns and peak demand loads to optimize energy consumption in real-time, all year round. Smart energy savings aren’t just wild speculation. Smart energy-management systems can reduce hotel energy costs by up to 20 percent and generate some of the fastest payback periods in the industry (between 12-24 months). They can also significantly increase the resale value of a hotel.
The energy savings from Internet of Things technology is not limited only to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Smart lighting technology also enables hoteliers to better understand their energy needs, automate consumption and adapt to real-time changes in occupancy. Just as smart HVAC systems use occupancy sensors and machine-learning algorithms to continuously analyze demand load patterns and optimize HVAC energy consumption, smart lighting systems similarly allow hotels to set preferred lighting times, track occupancy patterns and improve overall lighting energy consumption throughout the year.
Just as smart EMSs enable hoteliers to monitor, track and optimize energy consumption, predictive maintenance allows them to use sensor data to identify wasteful or hazardous trends and alert maintenance staff before a given issue escalates into a much costlier one. So rather than waiting for a component to break down before being serviced or replaced, IoT technologies are enabling engineering staff to predict maintenance needs based on system usage, prevent system failures and reduce the costs of operating a faulty system.
No hotel can operate without guests, and for that reason, hoteliers can expect to see smart technology further shape guest experiences and expectations. Not only can guest data be used to help better accommodate guest needs, but in conjunction with occupancy sensors, it can also be used to automate guest interactions throughout their stay, reducing both friction points and labor costs. In this way, smart technology will continue to make it possible for hotels to predict and personalize several guest services based on previous visits and aggregated guest data.
One of the main benefits of smart technology is how it aggregates data and makes it actionable. But with big data comes big responsibility. Big data is great when you can use it to take action—whether that’s tackling a new market segment or adjusting your rate plans to compete against your competitors. However, the biggest concern around big data and the necessary data harbouring is the safety around it. Every data harbourer’s goal is to keep their customers’ data safe, but that’s easier said than done.
As the price point of big-data solutions makes them more accessible to medium-sized segments of the hotel market, we can expect to see more hotel owners adopt and invest in them. More importantly, we can expect solution providers who can guarantee data protect to dominate their market segments.
Hotels now can use smart sensors and hotel apps to allow guests to reserve parking spots in advance of their visit and to have their space assigned upon arrival. This will save hotels the labour cost of manually managing parking inventory and it will give guests a smoother experience from the moment they pull in.
By enabling guests to check in remotely through their mobile device, hotel owners can better predict/manage their staffing needs and save considerably on labour costs. This technology can also alert hotel staff when guests arrive (enabling them to spend less time on the welcoming process), offer appropriate upgrades/upsells, and provide them with a more personalized guest experience, even on their first visit.
At the end of the guest stay, travellers can enjoy a seamless self-check-out experience that also allows them to arrange for their preferred transportation to their next destination (whether it be taxi, airport shuttle or a ride-sharing service such as Uber or Grab), further saving on labour costs.
Today more and more hotels are offering guests room access via their smartphone app. This is saving costs from printing environmentally harmful plastic keycards and it is eliminating the hassle of managing keycard inventory that is prone to loss and demagnetization.
Smart occupancy sensors will also help hotels push menu notifications to smartphones at optimal times when the guests are in their rooms. These notifications can even include personalized suggestions based on past orders. Indeed, many home food-delivery apps already offer a similar experience, sending push notifications to frequent users at their preferred ordering times on their preferred days.
Before hotels can deliver on a smart guest experience, they must bring guests through the door; that’s where smart marketing comes in. Data opportunities of smart technology offer hotels a more complete picture of their guests than ever before. Hotels that leverage data insight are the ones that will continue to succeed in the face of increased competition from Airbnb.
A hotel’s online ratings can not only help predict future bookings, but they offer owners valuable insight into how well a property delivered on guest expectations. Therefore, operators will continue to invest in platforms that help them monitor online reviews, manage their online reputation and use that feedback to improve both their operational and guest experience standards. Indeed, online reviews not only provide a source of direct feedback from guests, but they also impact a property’s bottom line.
The key to smarter hotel operations is implementing the right technologies that meet guests’ expectations and hoteliers’ needs to get to know these travellers better.
Tricom is a hotel automation system provider headquartered in Singapore.
Interested to invest a hotel automation system or upgrade your hotel to an outstanding smart hotel?
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