Richard Eastburn
Senior Director and Head of Product Management Hospitality
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Technology’s Expanding Role at Each Stage of the Traveler and Guest Journey
2024-09-30
5 min read
With consumers seeking greater personalization and convenience when managing daily life needs and tasks, multiple industries including the travel and hospitality sectors have taken the challenge head-on by turning more and more towards the advantages of technology. From checking into an upcoming flight to arriving at a hotel and managing trip itineraries, the ability for technology to make experiences more seamless safe and personalized appears to be limitless.
Replacing Stress With Enhanced Convenience at Airports
Anyone who has experienced flying on an airplane knows and plans ahead for the potential delays, extensive searches and frustration that air travel can often represent. Aiming to relieve travelers of obstacles standing in the way of an enjoyable journey, airports have embraced cutting-edge technologies to streamline experiences and minimize common pain points like long security lines and complex check-in processes.
More recent examples include the adopting of biometric technologies, such as facial recognition and fingerprint scanning. These services are now commonly deployed at airport security checkpoints, allowing for quicker, more accurate and secure identification of passengers. While such technology ultimately reduces wait times for passengers which explains its growing popularity, it also allows airports to streamline and make operations more efficient while increasing security instead of reducing it. 44 percent of airports currently offer biometric services and this number is undoubtedly set to grow further as more travelers become accustomed to the technology’s advantages.
With smartphones and personal devices being a staple of modern life, mobile apps have likewise proved game-changing for the travel industry and have transformed how travelers engage with airlines and airport services. Through these apps, passengers can check in for their flights, receive real-time updates about gate changes, and store boarding passes on their phones, reducing the need for printed documents. Now able to effortlessly manage and breeze through airport processes with a few swipes of their device, it’s hardly surprising that research indicates as many as 70 percent of travelers now prefer a mobile-based experience.
Continuing the Enhanced Convenience Trend During Hotel Arrival
Once travelers arrive at their hotel destination, expectations for technology to continue delivering a hassle-free experience likely only increase at the end of a long journey. While check-in process may have traditionally been a potential source of frustration for guests, mobile-based technology is likewise leading the hospitality industry towards effective solutions that can boost both satisfaction and operational efficiency rates. No matter where a guest may be traveling to around the world, digitalized check-in services are now a mainstream service offering that many have come to expect. Especially among business and younger, more tech savvy travelers, the ability to use personal devices as a digital room key to avoid check-in lines at the front desk can make all the difference while making booking decisions.
Yet although mobile-based check-in and guestroom access solutions may have been available for several years, the technology continues to adapt and make experiences more seamless and obstacle-free. For guests aiming for minimal hassle, more advanced digital key platforms can even sidestep the need for guests to download a new mobile app. Instead, guests can tap on a link from their check-in confirmation email to add their room key to their personal digital wallet. Adding to a hotel’s goal of delivering enhanced personalization, the feature notably allows guests to store and manage all important digitalized travel-related items in one centralized location- from plane tickets and bus passes to arena seat reservations and more. Thanks to the increasing convenience and value that the technology offers, as many as 76 percent of hotel operators have invested in digital check-in and mobile key solutions.
Extending Personalization and Comfort Throughout the Guest Stay
Even from the moment a guest turns the door handle to enter their room, newer technologies have gained momentum that are allowing hoteliers to instantly create a personalized and more comfortable welcome. By integrating the access management system that controls guestroom entry with a property’s PMS and energy management platform, hoteliers can automatically adjust in-room amenities such as thermostats, lights and TVs to the preferred settings of each individual guest. Offering this ability doesn’t just add an extra touch of personalized service but also could ultimately prove essential to running a competitive business with as many as 58 percent of guests indicating a preference for hotels featuring smart room technology.
Better still for guests aiming to control all aspects of the experience from the convenience of their hand, such guestroom amenities can also be remotely controlled via mobile app, allowing them to decide what makes the ideal environment setting at any point during their stay. Hotel mobile apps are also transforming virtually every aspect of the guest experience, with properties increasingly able to offer guests the ability to make room service requests, book spa appointments, book tours, rent amenities and more all from their own personal device. Considering that guests are increasing their reliance on apps to manage more aspects of their stay, hoteliers are virtually unified on the need to provide guests with mobile-enabled service.
Although still a fairly new technology, AI is already gaining a considerable presence within hotel operations and guest-facing services. Many brands and properties have adopting the technology in the form of chatbots, providing guests with instant responses to any queries while making sure that such responses are tailored to fully address a guest’s specific needs. With AI-based tools able to sift through tremendous amounts of data in mere seconds, the technology also represents an exciting opportunity to personalize guest experiences even further. For example, front desk staff equipped with an AI tool able to analyze an arriving guest’s previous purchases and travel history, can tailor and suggest the perfect experience that always aligns with budgets and expectations. With the ability to offer such game-changing benefits, AI’s impact on the hospitality industry continues to skyrocket and currently represents a market value of over $16.33 billion.
Maintaining Post-Stay Engagement and Loyalty
Technology continues to play a critical role even after a guest has checked out. Hotels now increasingly rely on post-stay engagement tools to gather feedback and maintain long-term relationships with their guests. Examples include digital post-stay surveys, often sent via email or mobile apps. These can provide valuable insights into guest satisfaction while highlighting areas for improvement. Leveraging guest data collected during the stay also provides hoteliers with an opportunity to further craft personalized offers and experiences that encourage repeat visits. With 56 percent of travelers stating that they are more likely to return to a hotel that offers personalized experiences, gathering as much data as possible on a guest’s evolving preferences and interests is sure to lead to a competitive edge.
Staying a Step Ahead of Emerging Technologies
The guest journey today is fundamentally shaped by technology. From the moment travelers set foot in the airport to the time they check out of their hotel room, technology facilitates a smoother, more personalized experience. As the hospitality industry continues to evolve, hotels must remain agile by adopting emerging technologies that meet the growing demands of tech-savvy travelers. Ultimately, those that succeed in creating a seamless, connected guest experience will set themselves apart in an increasingly competitive landscape.
The ultimate Buyer's Guide to
Keyless Entry and Digital Check-In
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A Mobile Key is a digitally encrypted “key” that resides on a mobile device, smartphone, tablet or wearable, allowing the authorized user to gain access to secured doors or other physical or digital access points within a property.
In this buyer’s guide, you will learn about the advancement of mobile technology and how successful application of digital keys within the hospitality industry has led to a rapidly growing trend toward Keyless Entry.
What's inside:
- Cutting edge trends
- Business impact
- Top rated providers & side-by-side comparisons
- Top questions smart buyers ask vendors
- Key integrations to drive efficiency
- Pricing models and budget insights
- Implementation process and timeline
- Success stories, use cases and articles
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