Cell phones become integrated into the guest’s stay
It isn’t any surprise that mobile technology, from smartphones to laptops, made this year’s guestroom trends list. As more and more travelers are opting to bring their personal devices with them while on the road, hotels are prepping to make sure that guests are able to use these solutions during their stay.
Las Vegas’ CityCenter rooms feature a media hub enabling guests to use their preferred devices. “[Portable devices] are becoming a very important part of mainstream culture,” says Lowes. “So the ability for the guest to use that portable device in the room was something that we looked at early on and we actually ended up having a product developed specifically to our requirements in order to support those portable devices.”
Yet Lowes notes that the most significant challenge with this technology is that guests often forget their device cables at home. “Having a process in place to get the guest the cable very quickly on a 24/7 basis has been something that has increased our guest satisfaction with that device itself.”
Schrils says that IHG is heavily investing in mobility. In addition to having iPhone and Android applications, the company is currently piloting a test in two of its properties where guests can unlock their hotel room door with their phone though a partnership with OpenWays (www.openways.com). “Essentially you get an e-mail before you check in that identifies the room you are going into, and through the acoustic noises that the telephone produces, which are very specific to that door lock and that particular phone, [it] allows that door lock to open. Theoretically, it allows you to go from the plane directly to your room,” says Schrils.
The immediate impact of iPad
This one single piece of hardware deserves its own trend category. Even before Apple’s public release of the iPad, IHG announced plans to put the tablets in the hands of its concierge teams at select properties. Since then, IHG and Best Western have each launched concierge-type apps that are designed for use on guests’ personal iPads.
The technology is now making its way from ‘official front-desk use’ to a provided in-room amenity. At New York City’s Plaza Hotel (www.theplaza.com, a Fairmont Hotel), each of the 282 rooms are equipped with an iPad that runs Intelity ICE (www.intelitycorp.com), a virtual concierge that enables guests to book reservations and request hotel services, among other things. “The thing that we like the most about Intelity is that the software and their backbone system infrastructure brings more than just the fact that we have iPads in the room,” says Shane Krige, the hotels general manager. For example, if guests use the iPad to request an additional pair of slippers, that request will be delivered directly to the appropriate staff member. “From a management standpoint we are able to keep track of efficiency. It will help us shape the amount of product that we put in the room, and if there are certain requests that are extremely high, it helps us keep efficient and reduces the opportunity for mistakes.”
The Plaza also leverages iPads to update its room service menu. “If the chef gets Atlantic salmon that’s come in fresh and he wants to put it on the room service menu, it can be done immediately,” says Krige. “It’s instant versus the old days of where you would have to go up and change the room service menu out of 282 rooms which would take you a couple of days.”
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