No matter what age you are, you have to admit that the “millennial mindset” has taken a pretty serious hold on the hospitality industry. All travelers want a thoughtful, easy, and fun experience but an emerging trend involves thoughtful, easy and fun technology as well. The best hotels are leading the way here, and it’s not just about Instagrammable walls, live feeds or exclusive events. Instead, simple and highly-considered placement of touch screen technology can improve the guest experience from arrival to in-room services and more. And in return for getting this right? Millennials are spending money hand-over-fist in places that focus on a smart, seamless experience.
Hotel technology trends show an increased use of iPads to provide guests with elegant, easy access to the things they most value during their hotel stay: customized experiences, digital convenience, and easy access to relevant hotel and local information. Overall, there are many ideas to enhance hotel guest experience through the use of technology.
Technology that modern visitors expect to see in hotel rooms continues to expand as technology itself does. Some general tech expectations visitors have in 2019 are:
- iPad/tablet presence
- Phone
- Television
- Free Wi-Fi
On-Arrival Access
Tablets can be used outside of the rooms themselves, cleverly placed at check-in and checkout. Depending on high traffic reception times, this can substantially improve customer satisfaction and improve the guest experience. In particular, millennials and other young generations prefer self-service aspects at almost any business they interface with, especially if it’s set up as a simple interface that saves them time.
On-Demand Access to Hotel Resources
For the most basic needs, like requesting towels or ice, or any sort of in-room service — all used to require a visit to the front desk or a phone call. With the addition of iPad in guest rooms, hotels are able to provide travelers with the convenience of placing their requests with the tap of a screen.
Software providers like DigiValet make it simple for guests to place orders, manage room controls, and ultimately offer the feel of a luxury operating system from any room to improve guest's experience. For younger travelers, simplicity and ease-of-access make them feel considered, and their stay feel so much more streamlined. Good things for all guests, but for the millennial set especially, all worth a quick social share and tag for your business, too.
Enjoying Entertainment with One Touch
Entertainment apps with “casting” options like Netflix and YouTube can exponentially increase use of your existing TVs, especially when easily controlled from an in-room iPad. Major hotel chains like Marriott have found that 26% of their guests used the Internet apps on the TVs so they can pick up on where they left off on their favorite shows from the convenience of their rooms.
Easy Access to Local Destinations and Discounts
Even more access? No problem. Younger generations love to discover and share all kinds of dining, shopping, special attractions, and immersive experiences. Providing them with the technology and resources right in their own rooms, or in the lobby area, to book reservations, plan outings, and learn new things about their destination is one of the most desired activities for millennials on vacation.
Access Can Also Be Beautiful
Unnecessary clutter detracts from any space, but especially when trying to get away from it all and enjoy time off. Set the standard for technology in hotel rooms in your area by choosing a sleek, simple, iPad wireless charging station for all of this access.
To ensure the iPad is always charged and accessible, but also secure or even “locked,” IPORT has created a solution to not only protect the tablet in an aesthetically pleasing case, but it also has the option to be mounted on the wall with an iPad wall mount or to an elegant tabletop base. While mounted to either station with the best iPad case, it wirelessly charges to ensure the device never runs out of battery.
A set of charging ports on the back of the LuxePort iPad wireless charging station also allow travelers to charge their personal devices without the need to move bulky nightstands—a classically frustrating experience in a traditional hotel room.
Enhancing your technology in hotel rooms is one of the simplest ways to not only ensure you are providing all guests with easy access to a more luxurious in-room experience, but also to improve hotel facilities, and staying current with the ever-evolving trends of modern-day traveler.
But the extra underline here is that 82 percent of millennials give heavy weight to online travel reviews—and showcasing a smart, respectful approach to integrated technology will only increase the likelihood of getting those coveted positive shout-outs and shares.
