The modern hotel guest is no longer comparing their stay only with other hotels. Their expectations are shaped by the speed of mobile banking, the ease of online shopping and the personalisation of streaming platforms. They expect services to be immediate, intuitive and connected and hospitality is no exception. From the moment they check in to the way they access entertainment, info and hotel services, guests increasingly expect every interaction to feel effortless.
For hoteliers, this raises the stakes: delivering a seamless experience now depends on having the right technology working quietly and effectively in the background.
EVOLVED EXPECTATIONS
Investment in one piece of technology is rarely a silver bullet. Instead, hoteliers should build a technology stack that responds directly to its guests needs and addresses key pain points.
One frequent point of contention for guests is the process of checking in – sluggish reception desks and queues mean that most individuals (71 per cent) now prefer hotels that offer a contactless experience. To solve this gap between expectations and reality, self-service kiosks, capable of taking payment and sending a key to the visitor’s phone, are becoming more and more common. With technology handling the start of the guest’s stay, staff can instead provide hands-on support to those who need it and avoid a backlog.
This level of interaction can continue throughout the stay when the right tools are integrated, instead of being siloed in isolated pockets of tech adoption. For example, without leaving their room, guests should be able to interact with hotel staff, ask questions or order room services, and find out information, like weather updates and details about the hotel.
Access to in-room entertainment is another crucial factor in guest experience scores. As the TVs bought for homes continue to evolve, visitors will naturally expect a similar standard when on a trip. From vivid picture quality to app access, including streaming services and of-the-minute news, hotel TVs should be easy to use and provide a range of entertainment for every generation.
Tech is most effective when it works behind the scenes to simplify both the guest experience and hotel operations. Cloud-based hospitality management platforms, for example, enable hotels to centrally manage in-room displays, personalise content, and give guests quick access to entertainment, services and hotel information. At the same time, staff can monitor room status, respond more quickly to requests and use operational data more effectively. Solutions such as LG’s Pro:Centric Hub illustrate how these capabilities can be brought together within a single platform, but the wider principle is the same: connected AVoIP technologies help deliver a more seamless and responsive guest experience.
To remain competitive, hoteliers need connected technologies that simplify operations while supporting a more seamless guest journey. As guest expectations continue to evolve, the challenge is no longer whether to invest in technology, but how to create connected systems that work together, giving staff greater visibility of hotel operations while enabling more personalised services. AVoIP provides the foundation for that approach, enabling seamless guest experiences while giving hotels the flexibility to adapt to changing expectations.
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