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Combining today’s recognizable technology, such as touchscreen and virtual reality, with concepts that are beyond our time, these are some of the notable features hotels in the future will have.

As one of the strongest drivers for change in the event industry, technology plays a prominent role in the planning and management of events

This includes robot butlers, entertainment, greeters and business services which for planning events can be more cost effective and reduce human error, streamlining the process of communicating with the systems to get exactly what you want.

Improve customer experiences. Customers spend an average of 70 percent more with companies that provide great service.1 The right restaurant POS system can give customers the convenience they want so they keep coming back. Promote new menu items with greater ease. POS self-service touchpoints, like self-ordering kiosks, make it simple to keep menus up to date and draw attention to new items. Offer loyalty features that generate repeat business. Most US customers (65 percent) are members of at least one restaurant loyalty program.2 POS systems can more easily link customers to their loyalty account to drive repeat business.

which boasts fully interactive tables with touch technology.

Customers are also able to order directly from the digital menu, reducing waiters to little more than human FAQs

like ordering a cab.

The next frontier for social media and smartphones may well be the restaurant table.

So far, restaurants have been slow to take to technology, but a few chains are breaking new ground.

DI refers to a significant change that fundamentally alters an industry.

DI can take many forms, including product and service innovations, as well as changes to operating processes and business models. What they all have in common is a commitment to continuous improvement and growth. The goal is to always be on the lookout for new and better ways to serve the customer and lead the market.

Leveraging contactless ordering and payments, operators can collect more data on their guests. These details seamlessly flow into your point of sales system, as well as your guest database to track spent and historical data.

We’ve definitely been more diligent in replacing the [climate controls] in our HVAC systems in order to be more efficient

Large, modern commercial HVACs can automatically throttle down its power output as a room becomes comfortable, which saves a large amount of money on unnecessary power costs that you avoid with proper controls

inefficient A/C makes guests angry and raises costs

hotel industry finds itself scrambling to inspire consumer confidence while also working hard to safeguard both guests and employees against COVID-19.

accelerated the infusion of new technologies and applications into hotel operations.

As we move into the ‘new normal’ and hotels reopen for business, the expectation for customer experience is higher than ever.” He foresees that moving forward, guests will expect enhanced tools like live-agent or AI-powered support channels, and personalized communications, not to mention heightened hygiene standards. “Hotels that cater to these consumers' needs will win brand loyalty as we embrace the new normal and for the long term,”

It's a mistake to think that a waiter's job is primarily to deliver food. This is one of the primary lessons I get across in my customer service training sessions for restaurant waitstaff: that waiting tables is a multifaceted art form that includes providing guests with feelings of recognition, comfort, and anticipation, providing a bit of theater, and, sometimes, serving as couples counselor and family mediator. Getting food to the table is really the least of what’s involved.

And there lies perhaps the biggest danger when you’re considering a move toward installing tableside technology in a restaurant: losing these less obvious, but emotionally crucial, parts of the waiter role. Another danger is that the implementation will be off-brand and off-putting.  There is a 4-ish star steakhouse with locations in several U.S. cities (think: "Morton’s but regional") whose black-clad, iPad-based menu opens on Page One with cheesy Comic Sans electronic discount coupons and two-for-one offers.  Maybe this doesn’t put you off your feed, but it did me, and I doubt that I’m alone. Which means that all the effort the restaurant had put into properly costuming the waiters, gussying up the dining room, sending its sommelier on vineyard junkets, teaching the waiters how crumb down the white tablecloths (and buying all those silver table crumbers) went down the drain with that one, ridiculously off-brand, choice. Folks: Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should do it; before you deploy any tableside technology, make sure that every single part of the deployment fits your brand, or at least fits your brand as you want it to be perceived in the future.

Which brings me to Chili’s Grill and Bar, the ubiquitous casual dining chain. Chili’s, which pretty much defines the mainstream of chain restaurants (and is not a place that self-service couponing – free chips with your loyalty points! – will be off-brand), is quickly becoming a definitive mainstream example as well of tabletop point of sale (POS) technology and mobile self-service restaurant technology.

Point-of-sale systems are critical to managing stock, tracking orders, recording customer details, logging hours and numerous other activities that enhance customer service and boost employee performance.

Due to the increasing demand to serve customers quickly, POS systems need to be fast and durable.

As retailers continue to focus on prioritising customer service, their IT systems need to do more than just process transactions.

Rising energy costs and persistent inflation will continue to affect guests and hotels alike

Many hoteliers are turning to technology to ameliorate some of these pressures. Native-cloud-based PMS platforms, for example, can deliver more power and reliability than traditional on-site PMS platforms

87% of hotels are experiencing a staffing shortage

Presto lets diners order by scrolling through pictures of entrées and pay swiping a card through Presto’s built-in reader. It even offers to split the check any way desired and e-mail the receipt.

Imagine if every airline used a separate reservation system to distribute flight information, instead of the familiar global distribution systems (GDS) in place now

As travel professionals are aware, Southwest Airlines are not available in most systems for booking reservations. However, they do not negotiate with distribution companies to sell their product.

Then travel companies would be charged to have the Direct Connect system in the long run, thus paying for the opportunity to sell American flights.

For example, McDonalds was recently hit with a nationwide class action alleging that its new Coca-Cola Freestyle beverage dispensers violate the ADA because their touch-screen interfaces are inaccessible to the visually impaired.

The availability of hefty damages in many states increases the potential exposure businesses face. For example, in California, a single violation with respect to a POS device, entitles the plaintiff to a minimum of $4,000 in statutory damages, plus his attorney’s fees and litigation expenses. Potential liability can be overwhelming when these type of lawsuits are brought as class actions.

3. Enable location-based services and information. A 2014 Ipsos study commissioned by Google showed that 88% of people make local searches on smartphones, while 61% want mobile search results customized to their immediate location. Location-specific offers, driving directions and maps, and localized search results all play a role here. For example, if a person searches “Olive Garden” on mobile, chances are excellent that they are looking for a local restaurant. The brand can win more sales when it ensures that its local stores are in the mobile search results. The quickest way to do this is to buy search terms including location, i.e. “Olive Garden Birmingham AL.” Over the long run, you can boost your local SEO by claiming each location in Google and Bing, and then driving citations and ratings from users. 4. Help people avoid lines. Mobile check-in helps hotels, airlines and car services improve guest satisfaction. The Center for Generational Kinetics conducted a study that found that 40% of millennials prefer purely online customer service, supporting the overall trend that they prefer self-service experiences offered via mobile instead of in person. I recently had a four-day hotel experience in which I checked in, checked out, made requests and ordered room service, all via mobile and without speaking to anyone. It was simply an experiment for me, but self-service is the preferred way of doing business for many. 5. Offer local insight and options. Innovative travel companies now replicate concierge services through their apps. Hotel and airline apps sometimes offer local area guides and activity booking tools. These tools make travel experiences richer and boost loyalty. For example, my team and I recently stayed in a hotel in Philadelphia. We arrived after 10 p.m. and wanted a good nearby restaurant that was serving at that hour. After a few clicks, we had a reservation and walking directions.