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Contents contributed and discussions participated by jwilc019

jwilc019

The New Hotel Stay: Welcome Back - 0 views

  • For hotel executives seeking to survive (and thrive) in a post-COVID-19 world, there are practical solutions—both short-term and long-term—that can add joy back into the hotel guest experience.
  • They require the designer to really understand how users will move into and out of these spaces and interact with them.
  • Immediate fixes, such as six-foot spaced tape on the floor and acrylic panels at check-in, are both inelegant and temporary.
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  • designers must become leaders in finding creative, hygiene-driven solutions with attractive, budget-conscious, non-porous, non-transmitting and sustainable materials for future crises
  • the guest could experience a physical cleansing with UV-C light (400–470 nanometers (nm), an antimicrobial against numerous bacteria) as well as a metaphoric one, an abstracted feeling of rebirth and joy due to the use of art, music, lighting, and planting.
  • The UV-C light fixtures that can be programmed to activate when a guestroom, elevator, cab or corridor is unoccupied may soon become standard design practice
  • As hotel operators navigate the new normal, expect to see innovations in hotel welcome packages. Especially with limited staff, hotels will need to rely on visual cues that indicate and reassure cleanliness.
  • A brightly-colored seal on the room’s exterior door or towels wrapped in clear wrap to show items have been cleaned and hygienically packaged
  • next phase of guestroom should integrate separately-zoned HVAC supply and return HVAC systems, which have the ability to immediately evacuate air from infected rooms. To make the guestroom bathrooms ideal for privacy and infection control, restroom exhaust systems should be inspected and made to filter out air continuously.
  • Guestrooms worldwide are shrinking because space is expensive, which presents a challenge to designers looking to optimize already small spaces in line with social distancing guidelines.
  • Technological improvements to touchless entry doors, smart HVAC systems, and room lighting will occur, as information will now be imparted to the guest via phone or touchless television system. Smart spaces are not a new trend. In fact, a MarketsandMarkets™ report reveals the global smart home market size is expected to grow from $78.3 billion in 2020 to $135.3 billion by 2025. As more and more consumers rely on smart devices and sensors like Alexa and Google Nest, hotel businesses will need to adapt the same contactless technology solutions to their guestrooms and common spaces.
  • Elevated experiences to increase joy might include innovations in higher-end materiality, comfort, spa-quality guest baths, interactive workout systems, in-room workout equipment, and elaborate mood lighting systems. In the manner of the guest experience, the hotel needs to remain a peaceful, calm, and safe alternative to the more urgent, chaotic world outside.
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    This article addresses how hotel design must change to be successful in a COVID/Post-COVID world. The emphasis the last few years has been on meeting spaces and smaller square footage in guest rooms, but with social distancing those wonderful new high-tech meeting spaces are empty. More guests are having to use their hotel rooms as a place to sleep, socialize, be entertained, and even work out. First impressions are crucial in all aspects of life including hotels meaning adding things like UV-C- lights can help to make guests feel safe and rejuvenated. Also we must redefine the guest "room" experience, such using Smart technology and intelligent room design.
jwilc019

Casino Gets Hacked Through Its Internet-Connected Fish Tank Thermometer - 0 views

  • Internet-connected technology, also known as the Internet of Things (IoT), is now part of daily life, with smart assistants like Siri and Alexa
  • But of much greater concern, enterprises are unable to secure each and every device on their network, giving cybercriminals hold on their network hostage with just one insecure device.
  • There's no better example than Mirai, the botnet malware that knocked the world's biggest and most popular websites offline for few hours over a year ago.
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  • Nicole Eagan, the CEO of cybersecurity company Darktrace, told attendees at an event in London on Thursday how cybercriminals hacked an unnamed casino through its Internet-connected thermometer in an aquarium in the lobby of the casino.
  • he hackers exploited a vulnerability in the thermostat to get a foothold in the network. Once there, they managed to access the high-roller database of gamblers and "then pulled it back across the network, out the thermostat, and up to the cloud."
  • compelling reminder that the IoT devices are theoretically vulnerable to being hacked or compromised.
  • Manufacturers majorly focus on performance and usability of IoT devices but ignore security measures and encryption mechanisms, which is why they are routinely being hacked.
  • Therefore, people can hardly do anything to protect themselves against these kinds of threats, until IoT device manufacturers timely secure and patch every security flaws or loopholes that might be present in their devices.
  • The best way you can protect is to connect only necessary devices to the network and place them behind a firewall.
  • educate yourself about IoT products.
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    I found this article fascinating. It shows that no matter how much security we think we have, there will always be someone who is smart enough to hack you. We bring Smart devices into our homes and businesses to make our lives easier, yet these devices make us vulnerable to cyberattacks. In this article it details how a hacker(s) used a Smart thermostat located inside a fish tank to access and pull sensitive data out of a casino. I'll never look at the fancy aquariums in resorts/restaurants the same.
jwilc019

The best guest-facing technology to install at your hotel - SiteMinder - 1 views

  • and ease of use when it comes to the technology within their room. For international travellers, this holds especially true.
  • five types of in-room technology your guests will love:
  • 1. High-speed wifi for your hotel guests
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  • Guests expect speeds to be on par with what they use at home.
  • It’s also important to make sure wifi is free. Charging a fee for internet is often a big factor in travellers choosing one hotel over another. 2. Hubs of technology to boost your room experience
  • 3. Netflix and YouTube for guest entertainment
  • . Smart technologies for guest comfort and luxury
  • Smart thermostats
  • smart lighting
  • changing the position of the bed, or opening and closing blinds.
  • Mobile door keys
  • Texting services for hotel concierge and services
  • By 2021 the number of people using messaging apps to communicate will reach 2.5 billion.
  • At no point do they have to leave their room or wait on hold during a call.
  • expect virtual reality (VR) to continue its rise with further progress. Guests will be eager to get a feel for potential destinations before they go, to further enhance their decision making.
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    This article addresses a few essential guest facing technologies that hotels need to be competitive in the modern marketplace. Hotels must provide free hi-speed Wi-Fi and tech hubs/charging stations both in rooms and throughout the property. Guests are seeking more streaming options because this is how the view content at home. Guests feel "high-class" when staying in Smart Rooms and perceive more value, which can justify higher rack rates. Guests appreciate the ability to text a concierge or order services via text. These all speak to the increased level of comfort that people feel in using technology and the need to provide guests with the means to maintain their tech comfort while travelling.
jwilc019

Setting Course for a Post-COVID Era in Hospitality | By Jason Floyd - 0 views

  • harpening their focus on the kinds of technology that can evolve and align their businesses with where the industry is headed. They've been asking the essential question: How will we be doing business in the future?
  • A key step is uncoupling from legacy systems and their limitations in favor of the cloud and SaaS-based solutions
  • unify everything brand-wide during a time when responding quickly to external forces is essential.
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  • more intelligently invest in new technologies that integrate with each other without putting undue pressure on technology teams.
  • so hospitality organizations are better able to share resources and insights no matter where departments and team members happen to be
  • For hotel property management systems, for instance, developments such as mobile reservations, self-managed upgrades, and the use of mobile devices as room keys supports a "high-tech not high-touch" approach to contactless guest experiences.
  • empowering service staff with greater visibility of timelines, schedules, and activities
  • gain greater precision in that process to avoid double-bookings, manage overstays, account for no-shows and other considera
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  • If the pandemic ended tomorrow, the value of developing a cloud-based platform with this kind of functionality would remain.
  • Consider our present times as a clarion call to hoteliers to create more visibility, deepen connections between teams, increase intelligence, and empower staff to better anticipate and be ready for that change.
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    This article deals with hospitality businesses asking themselves how business will be done in the future and how will stay current or ahead of the curve. It also speaks directly to how to be better prepared for events like COVID moving forward. It states that hospitality businesses need to quit holding on tightly to their old systems and think to the now and beyond by switching to cloud-based systems. It highlights the concept of "high-tech not high-touch", empowering service staff, greater accuracy, and making use of every nook and cranny of a property in the smartest possible ways.
jwilc019

Tips for Maximizing Your Hotel's Visibility on the GDS Channel - By Lana Tettelbach - 0 views

  • Hotel bookings are on the rise, and travel agent bookings are growing–more than doubling since April.
  • Solutions like GDS Media provide hoteliers with increased exposure to over 425,000 travel agents searching for certain locations and amenities.
  • GDS Tips: What you should know 1) Update traveler safety and cleanliness certifications
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  • ) Target ads to domestic agents without travel restrictions
  • 3) Use two versions of creative in your ads
  • ) Start GDS Media for future travel dates only
  • Hold rates and utilize added amenities
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    This article gives 5 tips on ways to maximize a property's visibility on GDS channels. As more regions and tourist hot spots adjust to new safety COVID-19 protocols, bookings are starting rise. With 400,000+ travel agents searching for the best options for their clients, it is important to standout to get the booking. It helps if the hotel updates their travel/safety guidelines, so guests know the property is taking their safety seriously. By targeting ads in domestic areas without travel restrictions, the hotel is getting the most "bang for their buck" with their marketing. This article recommends using two separate creative in your ads: one focusing on offers/promotions and one featuring safety/cleanliness. It suggests marketing for future stays a few months in advance, because as travel restrictions start to ease more people are looking ahead to their future travel needs. It emphasizes the important of holding rates and using added amenities to help reduce price slashing and look more attractive to potential guests.
jwilc019

MultiBrief: How hospitality will become more sustainable in 2020 - 1 views

  • It seems that hotel sustainability is going to top all hospitality trends in 2020.
  • creating innovations to contain the current wasteful way of living. The development and deployment of green technology will help proactive businesses drive change.
  • Preventing waste will be a predominant theme across all sub-sectors.
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  • “three-zero-concept” approach, which entails prioritizing energy management and lower emissions; using local construction materials and skills; and introducing life-cycle management into the building process.
  • According to research, hotels must reduce their carbon emissions by 66% by 2030 to ensure that growth in the sector is sustainable
  • Heat exchangers that use the exhaust heat to preheat water — an innovative way to achieve waste heat recovery — will grow in number.
  • To achieve the goal of reducing resource use, pollution, and waste hotels are installing high-resolution resource monitoring. They are also coming up with more apps that can engage staff and guests in sustainability and food waste reduction.
  • Eco-friendliness is no longer a nice-to-have concept. It has now evolved into a must-have
  • According to the U.N. World Tourism Organization, the number of eco-inspired trips taken by the end of this year will be close to 1.6 billion worldwide.
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    This article was pre-COVID and budgetary restraints I fear will force many initiatives to be placed on the back burner for a while. What I really liked about this article is that it shows the hospitality industry being a driving force in sustainability technologies and taking accountability for amount of resources it uses and waste it produces. I found the "three-zero-concept" particularly interesting for new builds, since it takes a ground-up approach to sustainability. It talks about education and training for staff, which is extremely important for sustainability initiatives to be successful. The article highlights different protocols being used to lower waste, emissions, pollution, and natural resources used.
jwilc019

Hospitality Industry Turns to Tech to Lure Guests Back - WSJ - 2 views

  • At RLH, “We’ve prioritized anything that has to do with automation,” Mr. Edwards said.
  • A key on your phone, voice-activated digital assistants that can order fresh towels, electrostatic sprayers—hotels are piling on tech workarounds to keep guests safe from Covid-19
  • U.S. hotel companies are doubling down on automation and fast-tracking technologies such as digital room keys and voice-activated digital assistants to minimize contact between guests and hotel staff amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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  • Guests can use the AI-based devices to control the lighting and operate the television, while avoiding touching light switches and remote controls.
  • any recovery could depend on how safe guests feel.
  • “The reality is the pandemic has impacted all of our staffing levels and budgets and forecasts,” said John Edwards, chief information officer at the Denver-based company, which is also known as Red Lion Hotels Corp.
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    This article focuses on the ways AI and automation can help the hospitality industry get back on track by helping guests to feel safe while they travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. By using different software guests can have a contactless check-in, request digital room keys, use AI based devices to control lighting/TV and/or make housekeeping/front desk requests, and housekeeping can use electrostatic sprayers to help mitigate the chances of guests contracting or spreading COVID. It notes the losses in revenue and occupancy by several major hotelier groups, especially some Las Vegas properties, as well the high number of furloughed employees that COVID has caused while showcasing ways that hotel groups can help get back on track by easing the fears of guests. It offers data to show that through these technologies, guests are returning because the feel their safety concerns have been addressed. comment by Jwilc019 " https://diigo.com/0ica77
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