Ah–technology. We need you, we love you. No matter how old you are, you probably have memorable technology moments that have hallmarked your life. For some, the sound of dial-up is a distant but fond memory, and others have never known a world without cell phones—but as fuzzy as our tech memories can be, any professional today knows technology is always about what’s next.
And that’s what brings us here today. I want to tell you about trends in hospitality technology and what to consider when you’re choosing the best hospitality solutions for your accommodations business. So whether you’re running an enterprise RV park, a bevy of Airbnbs, a hotel, a motel, an inn—or something in between, we have the tech to make your life easier and your revenue stronger.
Brief History of Technology in the Hospitality Industry
Technology and hospitality go together like peanut butter and jelly. If you work in the industry, you can imagine what it would be like to go about your regular day without today’s hospitality technology solutions. No online booking, no central reservation system, no channel manager—what a headache that could be for us modern folk! But let’s take a little trip in the time machine and learn about how we’ve got here today, shall we?
Ah, the evolution of technology in the hospitality industry—a tale as rich as the finest wine on a hotel’s top shelf. It all began with the humble Reservisor in the 1940s, a contraption that hospitality technology companies offered to revolutionize how accommodations managed bookings. Fast forward to the 1970s, when punch cards entered the chat, streamlining reservation processes and improving safety for guests and property owners alike. Each card boasted 32 holes, offering an astonishing 4.2 billion key combinations. The 80s saw the advent of computerized reservation systems, freeing up valuable time for hotel staff to focus on guest experiences and the widespread proliferation of recordable keycard locks. Then came the internet boom of the 90s, unleashing online booking platforms and transforming the hospitality landscape forever.
Today, hospitality technology solutions are a symphony of innovation, from AI-powered chatbots assisting guests’ inquiries to contactless check-in services making arrivals seamless. As we toast to the past and embrace the future, one thing remains clear—technology continues redefining the guest experience, and as business owners, we need to stay agile to thrive. The right tools on your side can be the difference between success and failure, and staying ahead of the curve is no small feat. That’s why we’re here to break it all down for you and ensure you’re prepared to face the future without fear.
Technology in the Hospitality Industry: 6 Trends To Be Aware Of
In the ever-evolving hospitality landscape, keeping a finger on the pulse of technological trends is like having the ultimate secret sauce for success. With new technology in the hospitality industry emerging faster than a traveler can say “room service,” staying ahead of the curve isn’t just savvy—it’s essential.
Why the fuss? Embracing the latest hospitality technology systems isn’t just about staying trendy; it’s about enhancing guest experiences, streamlining operations, and boosting your bottom line.
So, we have here six trends you can keep your eyes on in the coming years and even implement in your accommodations business, perfect for future-proofing your team:
- Contactless check-in
- Dynamic pricing
- Automated guest communication
- Predictive maintenance solutions
- Robotic room service
- Virtual reality exploration of the property
Let’s get into the specifics of each of these trends and what that means for accommodation providers like you.
Contactless Check-In
Welcome to your hotel! It’s time to head to the front desk and check-in—or is it? In today’s hospitality technology landscape, checking in may not necessarily be a face-to-face interaction. As great as this is, managing staffing and keeping guests happy with their check-in experience at all hours of the day can be challenging. That’s where the innovation of contactless check-in comes in.
With this innovative technology, guests can seamlessly breeze through the check-in process, minimizing physical contact and maximizing efficiency. Here’s why contactless check-in is a game-changer:
- Convenience: Guests can complete the check-in process at any time of the day or night and arrive when it suits their schedules and itineraries.
- Safety: By reducing face-to-face interactions, contactless check-in helps uphold health and safety protocols, offering peace of mind to both guests and staff.
- Efficiency: Streamlining the check-in process allows staff to focus on delivering exceptional service and addressing guests’ needs promptly.
Bonus Micro-Trend: Key Cafés are nifty pairings to make with a contactless check-in or self-service kiosk experience. This locker of the future type creation allows guests to access their keys securely, efficiently, and conveniently with the touch of a few numbers on a keypad.
Automated Guest Communication
In the bustling world of hospitality, effective communication is key to delivering exceptional guest experiences. With automated guest communication tools, accommodations can streamline interactions and ensure guests feel valued and informed throughout their stay. Automated guest communication allows accommodations to send tailored messages and offers based on guest preferences and behavior, enhancing engagement and satisfaction.
Property management systems allow you to connect with guests at every stage, from booking extras like specialty dining or renting a cabana to ensuring they are satisfied. Offering to extend their stay or giving them the opportunity to book an additional stay at a later date, it’s all more dollars in your pocket as an operator, and your guests will feel like they are being catered to at every turn—without the hefty butler price!
Dynamic Pricing
Setting rates can be a nightmare for many accommodation providers, and in days gone by, it was harder to capitalize on demand and ensure spaces were filled, even in the off-season. With the hospitality technology innovation of dynamic pricing, accommodations can optimize rates based on real-time demand and market conditions, maximizing profitability and occupancy rates.
Here’s why else dynamic pricing is a game-changer:
- Flexibility: Dynamic pricing allows accommodations to adjust rates in response to fluctuations in demand, ensuring competitiveness in the market.
- Revenue maximization: By setting prices dynamically, accommodations can capture revenue during peak-demand periods and optimize rates during low-demand periods.
- Data-driven insights: Dynamic pricing solutions leverage data analytics to provide actionable insights into pricing strategies, allowing accommodations to make informed decisions to drive revenue growth.
Newbook offers robust dynamic pricing software that’s easy to use and is built into the property management system. Simply set your minimum and maximum price for your property and let the dynamic pricing tool do the rest.
Predictive Maintenance Solutions
As an accommodations operator, you know downtime is not an option. From equipment like pools or hot tubs being down to rooms not being ready on time due to housekeeping shortfalls, no guest or operator wants these hiccups to be part of a stay. Property management systems of today can stop things from grinding to a halt by optimizing housekeeping staffing and rostering to automating task assignments based on real-time room status updates, ensuring seamless guest experiences every step of the way.
Some predictive maintenance solutions can even leverage data analytics and machine learning algorithms to anticipate equipment failures before they occur, ensuring uninterrupted operations and guest satisfaction. Now, that’s an innovation we can get behind!
Robotic Employees
When we think about technological advances, we as humans have long joked about robots taking over. Well, we aren’t exactly asking Optimus Prime to answer phone calls and manage the books quite yet, but new hospitality technology, like robots to provide room service delivery or greet guests in the lobby, is getting us close. Robotic service adds a wow factor to the guest experience, delighting guests with cutting-edge technology and leaving a lasting impression.
Robot employees can be more than just a gimmick for guests, though. Robots can navigate through hotel corridors and deliver room service items to guests quickly and accurately, reducing wait times and enhancing guest satisfaction, no matter how many human staff you have onsite. They can help when staffing shortages persist, and health and safety concerns require distance.
Virtual Reality
If you’ve tried virtual reality goggles at home or in an arcade-style setting, you know it can be a fun and exciting way to experience things you haven’t seen or done before. From visiting far-flung places to playing tennis like you’re Serena Williams, VR is an immersive experience for all users–so why not immerse them in your property?
From total immersion in a room your guests have yet to step foot into to providing an interactive online booking map for easy visualization and selection of preferred sites or rooms, you can keep guests engaged right up until check-in time.
Revenue Perks to Utilizing Hospitality Technology
In the fast-paced world of hospitality, embracing technology isn’t just a luxury—it’s a strategic imperative. As an accommodation operator, you know delivering a top-notch guest experience is as important as improving your business’ revenue. Technology can help bridge the gap between these two goals and help make your operations smoother than the sheets on the beds after they’ve been pressed.
Property management solutions systems can be a robust, one-stop-shop solution for your accommodation operations. From ensuring your guests can find your listing online to managing all of your channels in a few clicks to allowing you to upsell your guest’s services and equipment to improve their stay, you can do it all in one place with the help of automation and data. Think of a property management system as the Robin to your Batman–here to be your sidekick and help you fight guest dissatisfaction and bust revenue woes!
This comprehensive table highlights the perks of implementing technology solutions tailored specifically for the hospitality industry. From increasing efficiency through streamlined operations to enhancing the guest experience with intuitive mobile apps and self-service kiosks, these solutions offer tangible advantages that directly impact the bottom line.
| Revenue Perks to Utilizing Hospitality Technology | How It’s Beneficial |
|---|---|
| Increased Efficiency | Technology streamlines operations, reducing manual tasks and freeing up staff. |
| Enhanced Guest Experience | Solutions like mobile apps and self-service kiosks improve convenience and satisfaction. |
| Expanded Reach | Online platforms and social media marketing broaden audience reach, driving bookings. |
| Data-driven Insights | Analytics tools provide valuable data on guest preferences and booking patterns. |
| Improved Pricing Strategies | Dynamic pricing adjusts rates in real-time based on demand, optimizing revenue. |
| Cost Reduction | Automation and digitization reduce overhead costs associated with manual processes. |
| Competitive Advantage | Staying ahead of technological trends attracts tech-savvy guests and differentiates. |
| Upselling Opportunities | Technology facilitates targeted upselling and cross-selling efforts, increasing spend. |
| Better Inventory Management | Yield management optimizes inventory allocation, ensuring rooms are never double booked. |
By embracing technology for hospitality industry needs, businesses can unlock a world of opportunities for revenue growth and sustained success in an increasingly competitive landscape.
Choosing the Best Hospitality Technology Solution
Choosing the best hospitality technology solutions is no easy feat for accommodation operators like you. It’s a crowded market out there, so how can you be sure which is the right tool for you? The best place to start is with what is important to your operations.
And for most businesses operating in the hospitality industry, that list likely includes considerations like:
- Scalability
- Integrations
- Ease of use
- Customer support and training
- Guest experience enhancements
So, with these considerations in, let’s talk about each and how you can use this information to make the decision about which hospitality technology to complement your business operations.
Scalability
Growing, growing gone–not exactly what you want to hear when it comes to your hospitality technology. You need something that can be as flexible as the ebbs and flows in your business. That’s why it’s important to consider scalability when choosing the best hospitality technology solutions. As your business grows, you need a system that can handle the increasing demands without compromising performance. Look for a solution that offers enterprise scalability and solutions for a wide variety of accommodations businesses.
Key Questions to Ask:
- How can this tool grow and respond flexibly to your business needs?
- Can it accommodate multiple properties?
- Does the tool offer flexibility for different kinds of accommodations? For example, marinas, RV parks, hotels, and apartment rentals?
Integrations
If your tech stack is closer to you than your significant other, this one is for you. As accommodations operators, especially those who have been in business for a long time, you likely have layers of tools that need to work together with any new tech to make a hospitality symphony. Not to mention how many booking sites you need to be on in today’s world! Integration eliminates manual data entry, reduces errors, and improves efficiency. Look for tools that offer you solid integrations that match up to what you have in your stack and give you a way to manage all of your channels in one place.
Key Questions to Ask:
- Can this tool or technology integrate with existing tools in your arsenal?
- Does it allow you to manage all your channels in one place?
- Are you able to make changes across the channels with a few clicks?
Ease of Use
The best hospitality technology solutions are user-friendly and intuitive. Your staff should be able to quickly adapt to the new system without extensive training. Look for a solution that offers a clean and intuitive interface, easy navigation, and customizable workflows.
Key Questions to Ask:
- How easy is it to use this tool?
- Are there client case studies or reviews that speak to ease of use?
- Can your employees easily learn this tool?
- Can it take less time to do a task with this tool?
Customer Support and Training
Support and training are key to successfully onboarding any kind of hospitality technology. And the right tech solution for your hospitality business should not feel like pulling teeth when you sit down for training. Implementing new technology can be daunting, so choosing a hospitality technology company that provides excellent customer support and comprehensive training is essential. Additionally, comprehensive training programs will empower your staff to make the most of the new technology, maximizing its benefits for your business.
Key Questions to Ask:
- Does it have a database of training resources that can be accessed at any time?
- Is there live support available to staff?
- Can you access a dedicated trainer?
- Is there a training environment staff can practice in?
Guest Experience Enhancement
Making satisfied, happy guests is the biggest part of any accommodations provider’s job. Happy guests are equal guests who give good reviews, tell a friend, and come back to stay again. So, how can you dial the guest experience up a few notches without pulling a rabbit out of your hat? The right hospitality technology is designed with guests in mind and can do just that. From ensuring they are satisfied with their stay while it’s ongoing to offering extras guests want to make checking in seamless, technology should be here to help and not hinder. It should streamline operations but also create a more memorable and convenient experience for your guests, increasing their satisfaction and loyalty.
Key Questions to Ask:
- Is the guest-facing booking tool easy to use?
- Does it offer features that make a stay more enjoyable to guests, such as booking extras?
- Can it give your guests self-serve abilities?
Why You Should Consider Newbook for Your Hospitality Technology
Earlier, we said you need to find the hospitality technology equivalent of the Robin to your Batman. And in the world of property management systems, that sidekick is Newbook. Newbook provides a comprehensive suite of solutions designed specifically for the hospitality industry. With cutting-edge technology and unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction, Newbook is the ideal partner to take your business to new heights.
Consult the table below to get a peek at some of the features that make Newbook a powerful tool you can have in your back pocket to help improve guest satisfaction and boost revenue.
| Newbook Hospitality Technology Feature | What it Does |
|---|---|
| Contactless Check-In Experience | Enables guests to check in via self-serve kiosks and access their room keys from a key café. |
| Dynamic Pricing Tools | Adjusts pricing in real-time based on demand and market conditions, optimizing revenue and occupancy rates. |
| Channel Manager | Manages distribution channels, ensuring consistent availability and pricing across multiple platforms. |
| Central Reservation System | Centralizes reservations and booking management, streamlining operations and enhancing efficiency. |
| Integrations | Integrates seamlessly with third-party systems such as property management software and payment gateways. |
| Automated Guest Communication | Automates communication with guests through personalized messages, enhancing engagement and satisfaction. |
| Marketing Tools | Provides marketing tools to create and distribute promotions, special offers, and targeted campaigns. |
Newbook offers a scalable and flexible platform that can adapt to the unique needs of your business. The system seamlessly integrates with your existing software and hardware infrastructure, ensuring a smooth transition. A user-friendly interface and customizable workflows make it easy for your staff to adopt the new system quickly, increasing productivity and reducing errors. Customer support is a top priority for Newbook, ensuring you have access to expert assistance whenever needed. Their comprehensive training programs empower your staff to make the most of the technology, maximizing its benefits for your business. With Newbook, you can enhance the guest experience like never before. By harnessing the power of innovative technology, you can exceed guest expectations and solidify their loyalty to your brand.
Unlock the Future of Hospitality
In conclusion, choosing the best hospitality technology solutions is crucial for the success of your business. With innovations from automated guest communications to contactless check-in and robots waiting on guests’ hand and foot, the hospitality industry is ever-changing. Considering factors such as scalability, integrations, ease of use, customer support, and guest experience enhancement can help you see past the noise and get to the tools that will truly transform your business. And when it comes to innovative hospitality technology, Newbook is the name you can trust.
Newbook offers you the ability to manage your accommodations business in the palm of your hand. From pre-booking to departure, it makes hospitality a breeze. The scalable and flexible platform, seamless integrations, user-friendly interface, and comprehensive support make them the ideal partner for your business. Embrace the future of hospitality technology and take your business to new heights with Newbook by getting in touch with the team.
