As travel resumes and business picks back up during COVID-19, hotel guests are becoming increasingly concerned with a hotel’s cleanliness. In a Fuel Travel poll, nearly 60% of respondents said they want to know what hotels are doing to protect guests. With that being the case, smart hotels — properties that utilize smart technology to maximize the customer experience — are becoming more and more important.
In this week’s edition of Good Works and Great Ideas, we discuss the emergence of smart hotels. We also take a look at how properties can use smart hotel technology as a selling point. Keep in mind that while much of the newest technological advancements being implemented are related to COVID-19, there are still tons of ways for hotels to take advantage of technology and stay ahead of the competition for years to come.
Discover 8 ways smart hotels can utilize state-of-the-art technology:
1. UVC light for disinfecting
Hospitals have been utilizing UVC light and virus-killing robots for disinfecting, and the Westin Houston Medical Center is the first hotel to follow suit. Some of these virus-killing robots have arms to increase their disinfecting capabilities – they can open things and move objects.
Healthe, an industry-leading lighting solution company, has developed devices that use far-UVC light, which scientists say is safe for humans. It uses a shorter wavelength than UV or UVC that can’t go through skin but can still kill viruses and bacteria. This is the ideal way to disinfect crowded public spaces or clean areas while people are around.
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Fred Maxik, founder and CTO of Healthe, said in a USA Today article that far-UVC portals will "clean the pathogens off your clothing, off your skin, off any packaging you might carry with you as you walk into the space.”
This kind of technology could be used to sanitize packages and room keys before giving them to guests. It could even replace typical lights in public spaces for continuous sanitization in the area.
2. Voice control for in-room features
The Wynn Las Vegas has Amazon’s Alexa and Echo installed in its rooms. Guests can use voice commands to control things like the thermostat, drapes, television, and lights. They can also ask questions about the weather or the news. This allows the guest to customize their stay while minimizing what they need to touch.
3. Branded apps
Even before COVID-19, hotels had their own branded mobile apps to use for check-in, rewards, and room keys. Now's the perfect time to be putting those to use and upgrading their features. In addition to automating processes, apps can also protect your guests and staff by reducing face-to-face interactions.
For example, the Hilton Honors app allows guests to book Ubers and request food and drink or extra amenities. They can also use it for mobile check-in and as a door key. Marriott Bonvoy is a similar app with similar features, and also offers things like city guides. The Hyatt Hotels app has a feature that allows guests to chat with employees if they have requests or concerns. Apps like these allow guests to bypass the front desk and have everything they need delivered to their door.
4. Robotic butlers
Hotel robots are one of the first things that come to mind when people envision smart hotels. Aloft in Cupertino, California uses a robotic butler named “Botlr” to deliver things like extra towels or toothbrushes to guests. Botlr can navigate hallways and elevators autonomously, which frees up staff for other tasks and helps them stay distanced.
The Renaissance next to the Las Vegas Convention Center also uses these robot butlers, built by Savioke. The robots can do more than just deliver items to guest rooms. They can also report poor Wi-Fi zones and alert housekeeping when there's empty food trays or trash in hallways.
Yotel properties in Singapore, Miami, and Boston use robots called YOSHI and YOLANDA. These robots can move freely throughout the hotel, delivering amenities and room service to guests.
Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi have robots that make drinks for guests. The robotic bartender, called “Tipsy,” will make your drink in around one minute and does a dance while doing so. Even though it’s intended for entertainment, using robots to make drinks or food — especially during times of heightened health and safety concerns — is an innovative solution for contactless F&B, and an added unique guest experience factor.
5. Digital concierges
Digital concierges are a good way to reduce contact with guests while still providing them with assistance. Chatbots and virtual robots can complete simple requests and provide basic information, freeing up your staff for more complicated needs.
Go Moment’s smart concierge, Ivy, provides guests with personalized service and suggestions via texting. The Ranch at Laguna Beach and Eagle Hospitality Trust use Ivy so staff can focus their attention on other requests. Ivy helps guests with housekeeping, food and beverage requests, and anything that's typically handled by the front desk.
The Renaissance Midtown Hotel has an interactive digital concierge wall called the Discovery Portal. Holograms appear on the floor, inviting guests to step up and choose a category like dining or entertainment. Motion sensors allow the digital wall to be controlled with gestures, and guests receive curated tips on the itinerary they choose.
Playing up its location, the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas created a fun virtual concierge robot named Rose. Guests receive a card with Rose’s phone number and can text her for things like food deliveries or extra towels. Rose can also provide bar and restaurant recommendations inside the hotel.
6. Contactless payment methods
Contactless payments are expected to rise because cash and debit cards carry germs. According to data from Paysafe, 55% of U.S. consumers are concerned about handling cash. And half of U.S. consumers said they used contactless payments at least four times in the past month, with nearly 70% agreeing it was more convenient than cash.
Mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Android Pay are other kinds of contactless payment methods gaining widespread use. In addition to reducing touchpoints, contactless payment and access control technologies can also lower the need to touch high-touch surfaces – like elevator buttons and room keys.
7. Contact tracing and crowd control technology
As travel picks up and in-person events resume, attendees and planners will likely favor smart hotels that have contact tracing and other technologies to cut down on virus transmission, which helps provide safe meetings and events for everyone involved.
Apple and Google have teamed up to roll out a “COVID-19 exposure notification system” for public health agency use. After the app is enabled, users receive an alert if they're exposed to, or come into contact with, anyone who may have the virus. The catch is, that person also has to have the app downloaded and enabled on their phone. According to one model from the University of Oxford, 60% of the population would have to opt in for this to be effective. This type of technology is still in its early stages, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
Triax Technologies developed a device called Proximity Trace, which assists with contact tracing and social distancing. The sensor, worn on a belt, tracks movements and beeps if employees are standing too close to one another. If a worker becomes ill, the tracker can identify all of the people and equipment they came into contact with. While Triax makes technology used for construction, it’s easy to see how this kind of sensor can be used for crowd control and contact tracing in hotels or other locations where many people gather.
Inpixon — a data intelligence company that has worked with cruise lines and hotels — uses Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular signals for contact tracing and crowd control. Nadir Ali, the company’s CEO, is aiming to use this for passenger monitoring on cruise ships. The technology would allow cruise operators to view a color-coded map based on crowd-density levels, and can help pinpoint who an infected person has come into contact with by looking at their unique, encrypted code.
8. Temperature sensors
Public-health experts predict that temperature scanning in places where people gather will become as common as metal detectors. Upon reopening, the Wynn Las Vegas now has thermal cameras to screen every person entering the hotel. If anyone registers over 100 degrees, they're taken aside for another test and are turned away if it's still too high.
Like with contact tracing, planners and attendees will likely feel safer staying at hotels that have this kind of technology.
Discover how smart hotels across the world are transforming the guest experience:
1. Marriott upgrades cleaning and mobile app technology
As Marriott reopens its hotels, it has added new technology and equipment to its cleaning routines. Its hotels feature electrostatic disinfectant sprayers — the same ones used to sanitize airplanes. The handheld machines spray high-grade disinfectant that sticks to surfaces to clean rooms and public spaces. The hotel chain is also considering UV light for disinfecting room keys and shared employee items. In addition to this cleaning tech, Marriott is also encouraging the use of its app for check-in, room service, and other requests to reduce face-to-face interactions.
2. Smart hotels use robots to accommodate quarantined guests
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced plans to use robots in hotels that are accommodating quarantined patients. One robot connects with guests and shares information with them, and another is a fully autonomous vacuum cleaner.
In Hong Kong, the L’hotel Island South has Genie, Gena, and Genius — robots that serve food and drinks to quarantined guests. The robots have compartments to store food and beverage, and guests must enter a PIN to retrieve their order.
Use these examples of smart hotels to modify your offerings!
It's all about the customer experience and keeping guests safe. There are tons of changes your property can make to achieve both. Up next, check out our hotel SEO tips to boost your overall exposure.
