A lodging facility is far more than just a place for guests to sleep – it’s a home away from home, and as permanent homes are growing smarter using new technologies, hotels and resorts should be striving to keep up. Here are four great ways to improve a lodging facility using technology and how it enhances guest experiences.
1. Phones as Keys
NFC transmitters have become a universal feature in modern smartphones, and many hotels and resorts have begun to take advantage of this convenient feature by allowing guests to unlock the door to their rooms using apps that utilize this NFC technology. When this technology is utilized, guests can simply hold their phone up to the NFC-enabled door to a room, workout center, or other amenities just like their standard NFC-enabled key card. No longer do guests have to fear accidentally leaving their keys in their rooms and having to waste time at the front desk to get a new one with this new technology and almost any modern smartphone. Of course, these same doors can still use traditional NFC keycards to accommodate guests without NFC phones and guests trying to unplug during their stay.
2. Video Tours
Video tours of rooms and other amenities allow guests and prospective guests to better understand their room options and get an idea of what the space will be like before they arrive. This is particularly helpful for lodging with a wide variety of room types to give detailed room options that guests find particularly useful. Footage made for video tours can even double as a captivating resource for advertising on television, blogs, and banner ads.
3. EV Chargers
With more and more environmentally conscious guests choosing electric vehicles, hotels, and resorts can gain the upper hand in the competitive hospitality market by providing EV chargers on the property so guests can charge their vehicles while they rest and relax. This helps provide guests with an added sense of security as they don’t have to worry about how much power they’ll have when they leave, and it helps sell your lodging facility as environmentally conscious.
4. Interactive Maps
Interactive maps available on a lodging facility’s website or within a dedicated app can help guests more easily find their way around the premises and learn about accommodations they may not otherwise have known existed that will delight them and make their stay more memorable. These maps can include not only the lodging and resort itself but also surrounding attractions of interest such as theme parks, nature trails, local hot spots, and popular restaurants for guests to enjoy while seeing the sights. Virtual maps also have the advantage of being easier to update than paper maps, meaning you can always provide guests with current information.
These are merely a few of the many ways new technology can improve a lodging facility; as technology continues to improve, the hospitality industry continues to find new and innovative ways to accommodate and delight a wide variety of guests using it.
