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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Top 3 Hospitality Must-haves to be in the Techy Trend

09/20/2016

by Nimesh Dinubhai

The hotel industry is no different today than it was hundreds of years ago. Travelers still want a first-class product at the cheapest price possible, with ultimate customer service. The only thing that has really changed is the means in which we provide it. As advances in technology continue to rack the hospitality industry, owners and general managers are fervently scrambling to keep up with new technological trends. Let’s face it, that “unique and novel” experience doesn’t just happen on its own and today includes a variety of technological trends.

Mobility tops the list of technology trends that are a must for every hotel – independent or otherwise. Today’s customers want to browse hotels, compare prices, read reviews and finally book rooms all from their tablets or cell phones. Everyone is on the go, go, go and no one has time to be sitting at a desktop for anything other than required work; especially now that everything can be done within minutes from your phone. I can easily say that in the last two years, the majority of my travel plans; whether it was flights or hotel rooms, was searched for and booked from my cell phone.

Direct bookings are also high on the rise and is definitely the marketing trend to look at right now. Hotels that have their own website, apart from the brand website, have the ability to be custom designed to avoid the “one size fits all” template that was once the norm. Hotel owners are seeking the professional services of Web designers to create masterpiece websites loaded with features like direct booking links, virtual tours and dropdowns for everything from dining and entertainment to local attractions.

Social media marketing hit the hospitality industry with a storm. If your hotel is not blogged on, shared, reviewed or liked on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, then you are definitely out of the loop. TripAdvisor is every traveler’s go-to resource to review and research hotel and vacation destinations. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are right behind TripAdvisor, allowing customers to interact with other guests and read up-to-the-minute news on upcoming specials and events.

These are just the top three techy trends that are a must. But these do not even skim the water. Wearable technology, mobile keys and PMS technology are next on the must have list. Is your hotel a part of the technology trend? If not, consider revising your marketing strategies; now more than ever before the next storm comes in.

About The Author

Nimesh Dinubhai
President
Websrefresh

Nimesh Dinubhai completed his studies in 2003 and launched Websrefresh to help businesses grow their ROI. He also owns two Arizona hotels, one of which earned the Historical Hotel Award in 2014.