The hotel industry is changing, as digitalisation in aviation, travel and tourism is expected to migrate around $100 billion of value from traditional players to new competitors. If hospitality brands are to stay relevant and competitive they must offer not just great hospitality – but an experience too.
Brands such as Marriot and Hilton are launching specifically tech-focused rooms, with smart speakers capable of ordering hotel services from verbal instructions being just one of the projected amenities. Many guests are likely to prefer this, for privacy, convenience and entertainment – the fully connected hotel stay is set to take over traditional practices.
Enhancing authentic visitor experiences with augmented reality (AR)
AR allows digital information to be presented in immersive forms within the environment, so rather than presenting an entirely new and often fictional context, it simply enhances and deepens what the customer is already experiencing – it quite literally, and perceptibly, adds value.
One way in which the hotel sector is enhancing the customer experience is through immersive AR wayfinding, which helps guests easily navigate their way through the city they are in as well as within the hotel building itself, and even offers a fun and useful experience.
Pushing personalisation to its limits with artificial intelligence (AI)
AI comes in many forms and can transform the client journey drastically. The companies making the very best use of AI tend to be those providing genuinely omnichannel services, whereby their AI devices ‘learn’ from information about each customer, gleaned from various channels and systems at different times and adjusts services to exponentially improve the experience accordingly.
For example, a customer booking a hotel stay via their online account can be greeted by name when a virtual receptionist installed in the hotel reception ‘recognises’ them. Interactive bot concierges – such as ‘Rose’ of the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas – are one method of digital engagement which is becoming more widely used. Alternatively, information collected from various streams such as online, telephone contact or previous visits, as well as contextual and external information and events can be cleverly used by bots and displays to provide a genuinely customised experience for each client, providing accurate information, services and advice on demand.
Keeping in the loop with inimitable mobile phone technology
Mobile phone communication and embedded or complementary technology, such as NFC and RFID beacons can stitch together the entire communication journey and create an interactive bridge between displays, bots, organisations, data, information and the audience.
A brand app powered by RMG Networks’ KorbytGO can provide real-time performance statistics and relevant information to employees around the globe, as well as allowing displays to interact with clients, and relay relevant information instantly.
Connecting the dots with powerful content management systems (CMSs)
Creating a seamless journey across time and space, and across visual platforms and devices is crucial to elevating customer and employee experiences engagement levels. Managing the visualisation of the relevant data and content and visual applications needs to be as smooth, efficient and automated as possible across all visual end points.
That is why CMSs should lie at the heart of every hospitality business’s strategy. The best hospitality CMS will keep employees and consumers informed, providing data-driven insights and content to create superior engagement. A great CMS has the ability to enhance and gamify immersive hospitality applications so they make a lasting impact on visitors and clients. RMG Networks’ Korbyt is the industry’s best-in-class CMS, powering up exceptional visual communication applications for hospitality.
