Skift Take

Driven by consumer demand for connectivity and convenience, hotels that prioritize technology are banking on in-room features that provide a return on innovation.

Today we are launching the latest report in our Skift Trends Reports service, The State of Hotel In-Room Technology.

With the pace of consumer technology moving at breakneck speed, the hotel is a place where high-tech meets a high-contact industry. No doubt, technology is at the forefront of allowing guests the freedom to do what they choose during a hotel stay, according to hotel executives.

This report examines the work that goes into meeting that ever-changing guest demand for complete control within the guestroom. There are many ways to approach in-room technology, but the best hotels use technology to make the hotel stay more enjoyable through ease of use and often imperceptible innovations.

One thing is certain: Gone are the days of wasting money on shiny objects. “What’s really changed is that today it isn’t about giving the guest the technology,” says Wayne Goldberg, president and CEO of La Quinta Inns & Suites.” Today it’s about giving the guest the capability of leveraging all of the technology that they’re traveling with.”

When hotels consider the smartphone as a portal to a multitude of capabilities within hotel operations and a conduit for guest feedback, the experience feel effortless to the customer.

Yet that effortless experience leaves hotels working hard to keep up. Recent studies indicate that in-room technology is an area of high investment. And not a moment too soon: guest room technology is just starting to catch up with the capabilities of the devices that nearly all guests carry with them when they enter a hotel.

One thing we do know for sure: Guests want control.

Skift spoke with leaders at Starwood, SONIFI Solutions, Virgin Hotels, Four Seasons, Marriott, Hilton and more to understand what’s happening now.

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NOTE: We have moved away from the PDF format for reports; now you can read them in the new, online HTML5 responsive-design format. Check out an example here.

About These Reports

This is the 36th in a series of twice-monthly trends reports that brief readers on a specific trend, providing insight into the current state of the market, the context around the trend, and where the industry is heading in the near future.

After you subscribe, you will receive two reports every month — 24 in a year. Reports are available online in a responsive design format, or you can also buy each report a la carte at a higher price.

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Tags: amenities, hilton, in-room, research reports, sonifi, starwood

Photo credit: SPG Keyless entry works at W Hotels, Aloft, and Element properties. Starwood Hotels & Resorts

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