The hospitality industry is harnessing increased global automation and focussing on investing in customer experience to increase market visibility in this competitive industry. These changes can be seen across the broad spectrum of hospitality sectors, from hotels and casinos to cruise ships, and it reflects the recent shifts that have occurred in retail.
Factors focussing investment
A handful of contributing factors have steered current hospitality trends. Better global automation has influenced guests, who have became increasingly tech savvy, and this driven their technology and AV expectations higher when staying at a hotel.
These factors have changed the way the hospitality industry engages with guests both now and into the long term so they can maintain their position within this competitive industry.
Core purpose
Customer expectations for hotel business centre facilities have changed in line with digital technology’s rise in dominance over the past few years. Guests are expecting more than a quiet room with computers and a conference phone. The hospitality industry is meeting these expectations to attract a loyal customer base and develop their market presence further.
A good example of the boom in tech-savvy hotels is the budget hotel industry in central hubs such as London. A plethora of tech-savvy independent budget hotels have launched to compete for their slice of the market.
Bigger and better
As home entertainment systems have become increasingly sophisticated, hotel guest rooms have adapted their offering to attract repeat visitors. Hotel conferencing and business centres have also noted greater demand for better connectivity and multifaceted digital equipment.
Guests seek an overall interactive experience matched by improved connectivity whether it’s in the lobby, guest bedroom or the business, conferencing and event spaces.
The world inside a hotel
Hotels have elevated their guest experience to create an intuitive and interactive world inside the hotel. For example, smart TV and interactive IPTV outlets are now essential in six-star establishments. In mainstream hotels, there has been a steady increase of AV services, interactive control panels and consistent guest Wi-Fi. The hotel sector engages with local digital signage experts for solutions such as (http://moodmedia.co.uk/digital-signage-solutions/).
Customer experience
Hospitality experts across the industry have confirmed that enhancing guests’ experiences is the way forward as a dynamic strategy to harness the rewards available and keep up with global digital advancement.