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Definitely Doug 6/9/23: Hotels Fighting Trafficking: The Role of Technology
Posted: 06/09/2023

This week I want to address an important issue for the hospitality industry, albeit one that technologists have not historically had on their radar. They can potentially play a significant role in addressing the issue, which is human trafficking, and more specifically sex trafficking.

In my last column, I reviewed some key trends in autonomous mobile robotics for hotels, and dove into three categories of delivery robots in more detail – room delivery, food delivery, and heavy-lift robots. This week I will round out the topic with several other robot types and applications, as well as general guidance for evaluating, acquiring, and adopting mobile autonomous robotics. If you have not yet read part one, I recommend going back and doing so before continuing below, as some of the introductory material is important background to what follows.

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Best Practices for Hotel & Resort Operators in Pool Season 2023
Posted: 05/25/2023

With the arrival of warmer weather and summer fast approaching, hospitality operators are gearing up for another pool season. This year, technology is at the forefront of driving booking revenue and taking operational efficiency to the next level. Modern technology platforms (such as hospitality’s newest technology category – the Property Experience Management System or PXMS) are providing brand new capabilities that unlock new strategies and approaches to filling the pool with satisfied guests.

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The Growing Role Technology Plays in Hotels and Restaurants
Posted: 05/25/2023

In the past few years, hotels and restaurants have grown into hubs for entertainment, leisure, and human connection. In an effort to best serve their guests, operators have begun rethinking their technological investments and working to adapt to recent shifts in consumer preference and operations. To ensure that guests have the best on-site experience possible, brands are increasingly looking to new technologies to make their experiences more convenient and comfortable. Advanced property management systems (PMS) and point-of-sale (POS) systems can increase operational and staff efficiency, while also meeting changing customer expectations for a high-value but relatively low-touch experience.

This week I will return to a topic I have covered before, because it has, within the last 12 to 18 months, become one of the hottest-growth categories in hospitality technology. That topic is autonomous mobile robots – specifically, ones that can move around the facility as well as perform specific tasks. Many of these products were launched pre-Covid but were often seen at the time as more of a marketing gimmick than a legitimate operational solution.

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#HITECnola Part 5: Special HITEC 2016 Report brought to you by DANNI Enterprises

07/05/2016

by Steve Berrey

Hospitality Upgrade reached out to the team at DANNI Enterprises to provide a summary of experiences from HITEC 2016. Each team member scouted HITEC through the lens of his or her specific area of expertise.

Click here to read Part 1.
Click here to read Part 2.
Click here to read Part 3.
Click here to read Part 4.

Steve Berrey, Areas of expertise: business and product management, infrastructure and cabling, and network design and security

#HITECnola Part 5
I went to HITEC this year looking specifically for innovation in guest internet solutions and convergence benefits from consolidation and partnerships. One announcement caught my attention from SONIFI/Single Digits. Bernard Poncelet from Single Digits said the company is promising authentication to the casting experience via the sign-on into the Wi-Fi system.

(editor’s note: TeleAdapt announced its Roomcast, powered by Chromecast, a media streaming solution for hotels. The company also announced that Aloft New Orleans Downtown became the first to pilot RoomCast Powered by Chromecast. And also new to the scene but with decades behind them, ADB sponsored the HITEC welcome reception and really launched their brand. Touting the phrase, the biggest hotel interactive TV provider you’ve never heard of, ADB made a big push this year.)

While I was hoping to find new, exciting and even disruptive technologies this year, honestly, I found that this industry is woefully in need of more innovation or consolidation to achieve better economies of scale. Announcements from last year’s HITEC are barely products at this year’s show, and in the guest internet space, the dreams of many years ago are still not coming to pass. Wi-fi is slightly faster, the guest experience is the same or marginally better in a few convergence partnerships. But the overall feel is one of a mature market, when we all know technology is continuing at a blistering pace forward.

This special report is part of a 6-part HITEC 2016 summary focusing on specific technology areas from this year’s event. The previously released part 1 and 2 are available on the TechTalk Blog. And segments 4-6 are available at the links below.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 6

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About The Author

Steve Berrey

Steve Berrey, a 20+ year product and technology veteran, has been focused on the hospitality space since 2000, when he cofounded StayOnline – a managed services provider that led the early charge of Wi-Fi into the Hospitality industry. He applies his expertise in data networking and experience in television and other converged products to help hoteliers leverage their investments to their fullest potential. He also has extensive experience in product marketing, helping vendors to craft their products for the hospitality industry and align their roadmap with their long-term corporate strategy.

Steve has been a ten-year member of HTNGs infrastructure resource team, and is constantly plugged into the latest technology trends for hotel technology products and strategies.