Hospitality Technology

This article speaks about the extensive impact that artificial intelligence has on the hotel industry. The hotel industry was good before, but these new futuristic and techy advancements deliver premium guest experiences that create an everlasting effect. In return, it assists in expanding the business revenue, along with the profits, and creates a larger scale for the business. Some of the ways that big hotel brands are incorporating artificial intelligence is using chatbots. Chatbots help automates the customer support experience so customers are well directed in the right direction. Not only does it offer premium experiences, but it helps businesses to understand the customer's wants and needs to do so. It's a chain reaction. In hotel operations specifically, it helps to deliver a higher level of efficient and effective results when the demand grows higher. It also minimizes guest management time and effort. It is great for hotel operations, revenue management, next-level personalization, data analytics, and multilingual booking experience.

Using the Oculus and Meta, you can attend certain games virtually on courtside or balcony seating. You can connect with other avatars(people) and.discuss the game in live timr. Additionally, you are privy to specialty commentary or trivia. Drawbacks include blackout areas (if u live in the area the game is being televised) lag and latency speeds, poor camera angle/blocked view/ price tag for initial system/ only certain games hold this experience

I chose this article because it has good examples of how AR and VR has the possibility to change the guest experience in the hospitality industry. It also talks about beacon technology that has been used by companies for marketing purposes. Using bluetooth technology and by placing small devices through out a hotel property, hotels can send signals to guests devices that generate suggestions or things to do, places to eat or even to have digital keys for their rooms

The use of robots is predicted to become more common in the airport operations environment in the near future. Several airports are already testing advanced technology to improve guest experience by providing customers with security, entertainment, information, cleanliness, and advice. During the transition period, humans will continue to play an integral role, but some functions will likely eventually become fully automated. Robots can lower operational costs and improve efficiency. Even though there are barriers to implementation, including development costs and digital adaptation, several companies are investing in airport robotics. It is expected that consumers will need to adapt to this changing environment, which is intended to improve the overall air travel experience in an increasingly demanding aviation industry.

This article focused on some of the new technologies being introduced within the cruise line industry. Many of the ideas and aspects we discussed in the module are included in the article from augmented reality and facial recognition to in room technology. One part of the article that stood out to me explained the wearable being introduced on cruise ships from medallions to bracelets the technology appears to follow the path of Disney's magic bands. In addition mobile apps allowing delivery services and virtual reality offering games and other ways to entertain onboard the ship sound exciting and innovating for this recovering industry.

This article is very interesting because it is about the Vdara Hotel and Spa in Las Vegas and how they use robots for room service. The delivery robots look like dogs, called "Jett" and "Fetch." They are super technology innovative, and they can do different tasks such as; calling for elevators, alerting guests when they arrive at the hotel through an automated phone call, and traveling alone across the lobby to make sure guests have what they need. Other hotels in Las Vegas are also adopting technology to provide excellent guest services and great experiences. For example, a bar name Tipsy Robot has large machines that make drinks for their customers. Adopting robotics in Las Vegas has become a new trend that can make huge changes for the 300,000 people currently working in the gaming and hospitality industry.

Beacon technology is an important part of a personalized eMarketing strategy. The technology pings guests through an app to solicit a financial transaction. This increases app engagement and app retention and increases brand loyalty when done right. This article points out some uses for beacon technology beyond the obvious goal of driving sales into hotel restaurants, spas, or golf courses. Hotels have been successful using the technology in tracking hotel assets (i.e. luggage carts and room service trays), to tracking vendors on property, to determining which employee is most able to quickly deliver an item to a guest. I think beacon technology, when integrated with a PMS, could be used to increase loyalty program enrollment by identifying non-member guests and prompting them to enroll at opportune times during their stay (i.e. right after check-in or just prior to check-out).

This article speaks about how companies from retail to hotels are using proximity marketing to reach their target markets. One constant with all is data capture. This trend is booming. As cited in the article, "Proximity marketing is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.6% through 2021, expanding well beyond retail applications to benefit other businesses such as gas stations, restaurants, movie theaters, and hotels. Companies that now begin to make strides in understanding and integrating proximity marketing trends into their current strategic models will be at the forefront of their industries.

The international travel industry depends on safe and efficient border and immigration controls. Innovative technologies can help to increase efficiency and address security challenges. Some airlines, such as Emirates and AirAsia, as well as some airports around the world, are already investing in seamless biometric technologies, such as facial recognition. These kinds of biometric identification and 'no-touch' technologies deliver seamless and frictionless experiences for travellers crossing by air, land, and sea. Using biometrics to automate processes can improve traffic flows and service delivery overall, but it is not yet known how easily and quickly these new technologies will be adapted.

This article talks about the different ways that proximity marketing enhances customer loyalty programs to increase customer trust and loyalty. Proximity marketing is a marketing technique involving the localized wireless distribution of promotional content in specific geographical proximity. One of the ways that it can benefit customer loyalty programs is through laser-focused targeting. This kind of marketing is precise because it allows you to target potential customers close to the area, which will enable it to be a more personalized communication. Another reason is that it helps improve customer experience through the use of QR code coupons for customers, resulting in improved customer engagement and experience. Another reason, this one is used by Marriott International, is utilizing beacons. The beacons transmit in-hotel discounts and offer to loyalty program members through the hotel app. The key to proximity marketing is that customers need to remain engaged, in the area, and new marketing techniques like those described above can absolutely help.

Cornell gathered a few industry design and green tech experts to discuss the future of sustainable technology in hotels. Modular hotel buildouts can save construction waste and shorten build times, but developers can rarely afford the investment in sustainability practices that exceed code requirements. I see this daily in my career. The benefits are more long-term and if developers are not holding onto the asset long-term, they will not really see an ROI on LEED certifications, etc. CRMs can be used to track guests' digital breadcrumbs and build guest preferences in its database. Building data collection systems into the infrastructure of the hotel will give owners an overall view of where it can improve its sustainability practices.

Philips Professional Display Solutions (PDS) offered to upgrade hotel televisions in order to reduce e-waste. By allowing older models to be upgraded, there is higher return on investment and a reduction in the frequency of replacements. This prevents the discarding of pieces of electronic equipment that are fully functional, but are erroneously deemed out-dated and worthless.

Hotel certified wedding planners and event and catering managers can promote social media walls to weddings, social groups, and business conventions to not only enhance the guests' hotel experience, but to also generate organic UGC (user generated content) to use in its social media marketing strategy. A relatively minimal amount of hardware is required as building a social wall can be accomplished with either an LCD projector or LED screens and a social media aggregator tool. Hotels can create new revenue streams for their F&B Department.

This article outlines the linear cycle of the Materials of Economy, explaining each step and bringing to a close the number one issues, the damage to he planet and ultimately the people.

Hotels are definitely in a position to use green technologies to reduce their consumption and waste without compromising customer experience. In addition to environmental benefits, this approach can also improve a company's environmental performance and reduce utilities expenses. However, both external and internal factors can affect a company's decision to adopt these environmental technologies. This study explores some of the factors that might be hurdles for the industry as it tries to move towards a smarter and more sustainable future.

This article discusses the barriers to more hotels implementing green/eco-friendly technology. The main concern most hotel managers have about installing green tech is compromising the experience for the guest. For example, lowflow water heads are eco-friendly and conserve water as well as money, however guests may be displeased with the low pressure. Another large reason for lack of implementation is the little knowledge hotel staff have of green tech in both installation and usage.

At some point, we've all probably heard that hotel keycards store guests' personal information and that puts our privacy at risk and perhaps even exposes us to credit card fraud. This is pure myth. Hotels encode the least amount of information possible (a term called least privilege) on a keycard, limiting it to room #, arrival and departure date. The only way anyone's personal information could get onto a keycard is for someone to reuse a hotel keycard to program it as a credit card, and that information would not be obtained from a hotel PMS system.

High profile hotels near large events have had to respond to events such as mass shootings since the 2017 Las Vegas attack where a guest used as hotel room to carry out the shooting. Concert venues and large hotels are now using surveillance drones and predictive threat analysis to enable their staff to recognize patterns that could indicate signs of trouble. Security costs at large venues are expensive, and they are being passed on via ticket prices. Hotels need to evaluate their need for an active shooter plan and evaluate their "do not disturb" policies and train their staff to alert management when they are unable to enter a guest room, or when they recognize something out of the ordinary.