Ms. Lutz

Technology

Hotel Hi-Tech Evolution: Will it Pass or Pass By?

By Didi Lutz, President, Didi Lutz PR

There are many interesting theories on the evolution of technology and the socioeconomic impact it has to nearly every industry. Hoteliers read and analyze opinions and case studies to help them make the appropriate technology decisions for their property, whether it involves installing a complicated Wi-Fi system, an innovative computer in the business center, or just a simple guestroom analog phone.

It pays to be ahead of the game.

Sources such as the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Small Business, Mobile PC Magazine, Business 2.0 and many trade publications constantly introduce and analyze new innovative technologies. Hoteliers absorb the information and discover ways to apply new solutions to better serve the guest. Investing in hotel technology adds directly to the bottom line, achieving a potentially higher ROI. But, as with every other investment, you need to do your homework. Here are some technologies that have taken the hotel industry by storm with nothing but the guest's comfort in mind:

VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol, according to the FCC, "is a technology that allows you to make telephone calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line."

Now that telephone revenue in hotels is plunging due to a continuous increase in cell phone use, hotels must find alternate solutions for guestroom connectivity. With VoIP technology implemented in telephones, guests can make long distance and international calls anytime from their room at a very low cost. This only adds to the guest's comfort and overall experience at the hotel. For Hotel Commonwealth, one of the first hotels to use VoIP on property, it has been an exciting rotation of hi-tech trends that will yield substantial profit in the long-run on each call made using this technology.

The phones used by guests staying at Hotel Commonwealth have this built-in technology and are designed to encourage mobility, like a cell phone. The guest can take the phone anywhere on property and can make and receive calls while dining at the award-winning Great Bay restaurant, working out in the fitness salon, or when shopping in the hotel's specialty shops. The phone has its own direct line, making it possible to forward a cell phone to avoid roaming charges.

Wi-Fi - Short for Wireless Fidelity, Wi-Fi is the most convenient way to access the internet. No more cable modems to keep guests cramped in their rooms to access email or search for data. In fact, according to Christina Valhouli's 4/29 article on Forbes.com, "The Best Wi-Fi Hotels," the number of properties installing Wi-Fi has increased from 2,500 in 2003 to over 6,000 so far in 2004. Adding to the fact that there are more than 12 million Wi-Fi users around the globe really makes this technology a must for any business hotel.

The problem that is constantly being addressed and monitored is how to avoid Wi-Fi piracy. Because the signal spreads, it is often times difficult to keep away intruders who park outside the hotel and use the hotel as a free hotspot. While piracy is an issue, more innovative software solutions promising a more secure network are constantly coming out, and they are worth investing in.

HSIA - High Speed Internet Access. Chances are if your hotel doesn't offer or has not considered offering HSIA in guestrooms, the guest has already taken several points off the overall experience. In fact, most hotels that appeal to business travelers offer this service complimentary, for convenience, and as an incentive for the guest to come back.

While still old school, connectivity with the traditional cable and modem, is still the mainstream way of accessing the internet from a guestroom, late at night, or early in the morning with the habitual continental breakfast. It is likely HSIA will be around for years to come, so having this in-room technology available to your guests is probably valued nearly the same as the amenity of cable TV.

Self-Operated Business Center - With new technology in hotels guests can operate the business center for more things than just checking e-mail, faxing or making color copies. Guests can now write reports, confidential memos in their room, hold the queue to print the documents in the business center and a guest password will print everything when ready.

Self-operated business centers are found mostly in smaller business hotels. They typically have one or two computers with full internet access that can be charged to the room, prepaid through internet cards, or charged to a credit card. There is also a main guest fax, copiers and color laser printers. Some hotels have in-room faxes as an additional business amenity. The Hotel Commonwealth was designed to meet the standards of the digital age, and therefore offers complimentary in-room Wi-Fi and HSIA instead, encouraging e-mail rather than fax or paper correspondence.

With so much new technology outdating its predecessors, it is a challenge to keep up. Answering machines, walkmans, and even cd players seem like ghosts from ancient times. And they are. The era of complete comfort and convenience is here to stay. And as long as people know how to maintain a balance between technology and natural life, then this advancement may be a healthy evolution.

On that note, we all know that to succeed in hospitality means to maintain and elaborate on the very basic elements from simply shaking hands and adding that personal touch, to going out of our way to make things happen, being constantly innovative, establishing good eye contact and sharing a smile with the guests. This industry was built on the essence of providing and fostering personal attention. Therefore, we cannot allow this philosophy to be lost in the new age of technology. Pursuing technological advancement is secure only when it enhances the personal attention offered to the guest, and not when it replaces it.

Whether we are guests or serve guests, there are times when we find ourselves walking on a blurry, fine line where it becomes difficult for us to distinguish the office from home. Achieving a healthy balance is critical, and maybe the question really is: "To what extent will we allow the continuous gallop in technology redefine and substitute our lives?"

And so it lingers...

Didi Lutz is an internationally acclaimed hospitality public relations professional specializing in boutique hotels, luxury travel, destination and tourism communications. Prior to starting her own business in February 2005, Ms. Lutz was the Director of Communications for the Hotel Commonwealth, a 150-room luxury property in Boston. Within the first year of the Hotel Commonwealth's opening, she established the media relationship that led to worldwide recognition for the property as one of Ten Best New Business Hotels by Forbes.com. Ms. Lutz can be contacted at 561-628-7422 or didi.lutz@gmail.com Extended Bio...

HotelExecutive.com retains the copyright to the articles published in the Hotel Business Review. Articles cannot be republished without prior written consent by HotelExecutive.com.