Rethinking the hospitality arena - The Technology Base Self Service versus Traditional Human Touch Services!

During the last few years, the hospitality industry has seen an evolution at an unprecedented pace. For all the new comers in the business, it is very crucial for them to be open to using new tools and a variety of them to ensure business success. We are at a point when we should be rethinking the hospitality arena for tomorrow. The technological revolution in the industry is expected to include paperless check-ins, robot waiters, web valet, data visualization, 3D food printing, quantum levitation, facial recognition systems and a lot more:

The innovative technology in the hospitality industry has both good and bad effects. In today’s world, technology has grown to be a part of our everyday life. As long we have Internet we have an access to any and every information we are looking for. The operations like reservation systems, security cameras, point of sale systems, property management systems, mobile communication, meeting matrix, energy management systems, key card encoder, etc. are all controlled by technology software and devices.

Even the front-of-house and back-of-house staff operations are being managed and monitored by technology tools. Technology is replacing the human touch in making work easier for employees and also keep guests content and happy during their stay or visit. Using high definition television, high speed wireless internet, mini bars, iPads for guest use so they can search or placing orders, connectivity panels for business travelers, Climate control and so on are some examples of the everyday uses of technology in a hoteliers day to day life.

Innovative new technology trends that are currently being used in some hotels are the following:

Room personalization: Guest can now turn on/off lights, control room temperature, open/close curtains, order room service, turn on the do not disturb sign, set wake-up calls, etc. A lot of hotels have come up with their own apps which gives the guest an access to all the functions the remote has to offer.

Smart screens: Smart screen kiosk helps the guest find out information (restaurants, activities, flights) without the hassle of carrying a laptop or waiting for someone to assist them.

Digital Door View: A screen inside of hotel room doors has replaced the old fashion ‘peephole’.

Negatives of Technology

One of the biggest issues associated with growing technology in the hospitality industry is the need for fewer employees. As a result of iPads, smartphones, touch smart screens, online bookings, etc. they are slowly replacing jobs leaving employees desperately looking for work elsewhere. The majority of hotel functions in the future will be faceless. The Technology Base Self Service is slowly taking over the Traditional Human Touch Services in the hospitality industry. While a guest comes to stay at hotels to be catered to and pampered, hoteliers need to analyze that is technologically able to provide the same level of total quality service? It is the relationship and service that differentiates say one hotel over others in the area and that's why the human interaction plays a critical role! So as technology is advancing, we need to be careful that it may not just take over things. At the same hand, a wide range of innovations is coming everyday to assist hotels in keeping up with their competitions.

Thus, regardless of what is brought to the table, the whole point will always be to meet and exceed the needs of guests. It is important that hotels keep up with the evolution of changing technology as the hospitality industry is, and always has been, a competitive business. As guests are more often exposed to new cutting-edge technology, they will slowly start to have different needs and expectations of what an everyday hotel should consist of. So, though using electronic components has also made us much less interactive with the real world, a good service and a balance between, human touch service and technology based service will make you different!