02 Jul Hotels & Modern Technology
Evidences of the many ways that modern technology is changing our lives and our world are all around us. From pretty much any lens you look through, technology has impacted that particular slice of existence. Take hotel and lodging.
First, with the arrival of the smartphone, apps have transformed how we do almost everything. For pretty much anything you could want, it’s really true that there’s possibly an app for it. From hotels.com‘s app to Hotel Tonight, and Hotel Finder to Booking.com‘s application, you can browse for rooms, find amazing deals and discounted rates, and you don’t even have to grab the phone to make reservations anymore, either. Everything can be done from inside the app: find what you want, make the reservation, and pay for it. Piece of cake.
Lots of hotels have their own app, so if you’re loyal to one company that you typically stay with, search to see if they have one. Some high-end hotel companies make it possible for you to use your phone to get into your room … you don’t even have to go down to the front desk to pick up a physical key.
You know how you can use technology to order food, groceries, and other services? If you forgot to bring something (such as an iPad charger) and you’re trying to figure out what to do about it, you can chat with a hotel associate to get it resolved.
Because of this, we see technology being used continually in the hospitality industry. It’s pretty much a given that hotels will have WiFi so their guests can be connected to the Internet, as well as several other things that keep us connected to our regular routines. Marriott has been piloting the use of VR headsets in a couple of their hotels … for guests that want to imagine themselves into yet another location while they are on vacation.
Apps make it possible to pay for your trip, plan an itinerary, search for the best local attractions, and use maps to get there … all within the little phone in the palm of your hand. And what about social media apps? How does that factor into hotel business these days?
There’s no doubt about it … from pretty much any angle and with every aspect of our lives, technology has left its footprint and it remains to do so. And indeed, it’s pretty convenient in many ways. It’s nice to be able to do so many things from one small screen!
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