News for the Hospitality Executive |
by
Terence Ronson,
ISHC
December 13, 2010 Typically, in the world of tech we take a forward-looking approach, but just for now - let's turn our heads around, and look back along the road from whence we came.
As the old cliché
goes, you
can't know where you are going until you know where you have been. In many respects - 2010 (Y2K10)
has been a blast!
Economy wise - we've gone
from
boom to bust to boom. And as for tech - we've traversed galaxies
evolving from
a 2D world to one that's all about Avatar's (as suitably portrayed by
the now
defunct TV series Caprica) and 3D. And when we speak of
mobile
comms, we are immersed in the 4G era. In this newfound augmented
reality existence, everything we now touch appears to be App driven and
controlled
via new forms of human gesticulation - pinching-to-expand, and then
through the
action of flicking your index finger, you now effortlessly scroll a
screen full
of data either up or down, or left and right. More importantly, and
with any
luck, these Apps cost no more than ninety-nine US cents to legally
download.
For the most part, these small and inexpensively priced software chunks
(as
part of everyday speak "there must be an App for that"...) operate on
a device that ideally fits into the palm of your hand. Honestly
speaking - what
did we ever do before? Deciding which Tablet (often
in
slang terms referred to as "a TAB") is best for you, has, for for all
intent and purposes, become a size
matters issue. Are you satisfied with
4" or should you upsize to a whopping 9.7"? You may also be concerned
(on a fashion label level) as to whether you prefer something named
after a
piece of fruit, or an OS (Operating System) akin to an Alien Robot
classification. Security continues to be the
8-letter word most humans are afraid of, with justifiably heightened
concerns
across all sectors of life over data breaches and (Wiki)leaks. The
viral nature
of the web has recently been fully manipulated to graphically show us
how
information once believed secure on the credit card in our pocket can
be fairly
easily read and exploited by a passer-by equipped with a minimal amount
of OTC
(over the counter) tech. I really wonder how this technology became PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliant?
In the space we know and
love
so dearly - Hotels, we've pretty much seen the demise of PPV/VOD, (Pay
Per View
/ Video on Demand) and are nearing an anniversary of some sort for its
popular
successor - IPTV.
IDD revenue has all but
gone,
and IP Telephony has become commonplace in many up-scale properties -
some even
offering free unlimited planet-wide calling made possible through
integration
with a VoIN (Voice over Internet) service like Skype. There is a hung Jury - one
that
cannot reach a conclusive verdict, as to whether HSIA (High Speed
Internet
Access) should be a Free or Fee
based service (personally, I prefer to
classify it as an amenity). But one thing is for sure, there is
unparalleled
demand for bandwidth - and it will get worse! Surveys show this is now
the #1
requested (tech) amenity in Hotels. Watch out for scalable bandwidth
(and
associated charging) coming to a Hotel near you, as will omnipresent
Wi-Fi and
the cessation of wired connections at the Desk. Also, it's important to
be
mindful of the younger generation who, these days, do a lot more
UPloading
(thanks to YouTube), than DOWNloading. Some Guests (exact %
unknown)
have found comfort and relief in their room being equipped with an RJP
(Remote
Jack Pack) or AUX panel or a dock of some sort to re-charge and
playback their iThingy
through a far more pleasing sound system than their tiny and shiny
colorful ear
buds provide. They have also astutely learned to BYOC - Bring Your Own
Content.
Next to be commonplace, are USB power sockets especially when the
European
Union enforces a single power adapter standard for all mobile phones in
2011
and we can safely forget our chargers @home. The industry has a few new
fads
- like iPads - SaaS, mobile phones that can open doors and free mini
bars.
Truth be told, I worked on a project in 2001 when we provided free
mini-bars at Rosedale Hong Kong - these included 4
cans of
soda pop and drinking water, plus a couple of beers. Perhaps not as
elaborate a
selection as those you see today - but nevertheless customer acceptance
was
very high - much the same as with the free HSIA we also provided. Well
I guess
it takes the rest of the industry a while to catch up - just like the
first
Hotel App I created on a PALM Pilot and HP iPAQ (in 2001) - called HOTELINMYHAND® (as featured
on CNN) - hmm. Getting our heads and biz
into
the Cloud (aka SaaS - Software as a Service) is
quite likely
apart from iPad the most commonly spoken 4-letter word in a Hotel today
- Who
am I kidding? Many are still unsure as to how this service works, and
much more
importantly, how they will benefit. Educating the common man, providing
him
with re-assurances about data security, cost savings and guaranteed
uptime are IMHO key
areas that need
to be addressed for this to succeed. This may, however, get some added
traction
in 2011 when Google finally releases into the expectant world their
Chrome
based computer complete with built-in Cloud Apps. I feel this is
somewhat akin
in concept to the Client/Server architecture some of us may have
painfully
grown up with. Anyone agree with me here? And, as for opening your
Room
door with a mobile phone that plays a series of beeps, I'm really not
sure
about that one! Another dinosaur slowly
disappearing from Hotels is the Front Desk, thankfully due to great
advances in
mobile technology and the desire to physically Room-guests. Overcome a
few
remaining obstacles and we'll get there. Hey - Who likes to queue up
anyway? The use of Social Media is
becoming commonplace in Hospitality, with technology like geo-tagging
and the
App FourSquare contributing to this. Trending is an everyday occurrence
as
people Tweet all over the place, make lots of BFF's, and using their FaceBook pages
to crowdsource
and share their 'Likes' and 'comments'. And just in case you've dropped
in from
another planet, Linkedin has without doubt, developed
into the
de facto place not just for Hoteliers but for everyone, to post ones
resume and
explore networking opportunities.
Slowly appearing on the
horizon
is the acceptance of vending machines and kiosks with high-profile
Hotels in
New York, London, Abu Dhabi and Las Vegas installing them. Some even
dispense
real Gold Bars. As appealing as that may
sound, I
think the type, which dispenses pyramid shaped chocolate covered honey
and nut
bars; have more of a chance to succeed across the board and thereby
boost the
Swiss chocolate industry - Don't you? Thin is IN
- and
as our Guests become increasingly smarter and ever more demanding - so
must the
TV's in the Guest Room. Models are thinner, show high definition
pictures, are compatible with Blu-Ray, reproduce sound with enhanced
quality,
while at the same time 'are connected' and often supplied with embedded
Apps
like Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Google, Skype and also Room Service
ordering.
Some include Wi-Fi streaming from suitably enabled devices - like
AirPlay.
Short time now until everything will be done via the TV including smart
room
controls and Video Conferencing. Apple calls this FaceTime, and Cisco plus a few other
companies (like HP) refer to it as TelePresence. Actually, Face Time is
a very
common phrase used here in Asia where we like to say, "We need to get
some
Face Time with that client" - meaning be physically there in the same
place and time zone - unlike the place and time-shifting this
technology
promotes. I wonder if this will cause an evolutionary change in certain
cultures? B2B or Back to Basics will
feature heavily in 2011, with Hotels re-imagining what their Guestrooms
are
really being used for - Are they a Home
Away From Home, or an Office
Away From Office - perhaps, in reality, a mashup of the two. So, what's next? Maybe we'll see...
Sorry gotta stop there -
can't
let the cat out of the bag! (c) Terence Ronson ISHC |
Contact:
Terence Ronson |
Also See: | The
Front Desk Is Dead. Long Live the [New] Front Desk / Terence Ronson
/ August 2010 |
Fairmont Hotels Installing Self-service Kiosks in All North America Hotels; Includes Guestroom Mapping and Airline Check-In Features / June 2005 | |
Hilton Tests New Check-In/Check-Out Self Service Kiosks at Two Flagship Properties / Sept 2003 |