Tech Talk

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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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Wallpaper, Dual-View and Holograms: The Biggest and Best of DSE 2017

05/10/2017

by Bill Geoghegan

In a world constantly vying for your attention, unexpected content and form factor is king. While large digital displays in High Definition (HD) or Ultra High Definition (UHD) are almost a commodity, new form factors are successfully capturing the attention of potential consumers. Whether it is the digital outdoor roadside signs that change every few seconds, a series of displays with sequenced creative content, or displays that draw attention because of their unusual size or placement, digital signage is being used to capture the attention of a growing population which is fixated looking at mobile phone screens.

The 2017 Digital Signage Expo held in Las Vegas was a Mecca for new designs and content systems geared to Digital Out of Home (DOOH) advertising.

Both literally and figuratively at the front of the exhibits was LG, which introduced a family of products based on their organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. This technology allows displays to be curved and ultra-thin. In addition to a multi-curved display, LG also introduced its Wallpaper and Dual-View products. The Wallpaper is 3.65 millimeters (0.15 inches) thin, can be viewed from any angle, weighing less than 17 pounds for a 65-inch display. Dual-View has displays on both the front and back, which can be presented as the same or different content. I guess if both sides are independent displays, there is no front or back. It can be suspended from above with a rotating mount or configured in a stationary flat or curved display.

LG Curved Dual-View Display
Beyond the standard 16x9 aspect ratio screens, a number of vendors are offering displays in configurations that lend themselves to specific application such as directions, notifications, etc. Aspect ratios of 16x5 lends itself to displays that are mounted perpendicular to a wall, with information such as airport gate numbers with the flight and departure information alternatively displaying.

Numerous vendors displayed integrated touchscreen solutions for self service, for uses like restaurant menus. The success of these offerings is dependent on the integration of the touchscreen with the back end process, and the intuitive organization of the content. Two concerns with the touchscreen self-service environment are that the screens are difficult to keep clean with the high finger traffic, and the reticence of many people to touch a surface that has been touched by others. Perhaps the most futuristic and Sci-Fi like product presented at DSE may be the answer.

While it is not yet ready for commercial use, Asukanet out of Japan has engineered an interesting solution. The content of a standard monitor is passed through a plate at a 45-degree angle and is re-formed in mid-air as a hologram. That hologram can be configured to re-form within a specific location. A sensor can determine where a person is ‘touching’ the hologram, and interpret that location as any touchscreen interface would. The result is a screen that never needs cleaning and can’t be contaminated. Asukanet only sells the plates, but the integration of this clever product into production looks like it is only a matter of time. To see the technology, go to www.aska3d.com.

Please look for the Summer/HITEC issue of Hospitality Upgrade where more information about TV technology will be shared.