Contactless Tech Promises to Be Travel's Next Big Thing: What's Real and What's Hype?

Several tech firms are hoping the travel industry will rush to buy digital tools designed to reduce how much contact travelers have with surfaces touched by strangers and how often they interact face-to-face with staff. Yet it remains unclear what's actually happening and what's hype from vendors. Skift took a closer look at what hotels, airports, airlines, and corporate travel managers may adopt in contactless tech. The travel industry is eager to reassure wary travelers as it prepares for business recovery. Still, companies seem to be taking more interest in some types of contactless tech than others. Many hard-hit companies have limited resources to invest in tech projects. "In the short-term, moving to contactless tech is about customer reassurance, but it's also about being able to mitigate some costs," said Katherine Grass, CEO of travel tech firm Optii and a venture partner at Thayer Ventures. "If a hotel is coming back at low occupancy levels, efforts at making the experience more contactless can also reduce costs," Grass said. She argued that hoteliers would expect tech to pay for itself in reduced labor costs long after the pandemic has ended.

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Data from consulting firm McKinsey suggests that consumers will embrace contactless tech, with some consumers, faced with uncertainty, saying they will seek out brands that make visible, dramatic efforts at disinfection. "It's a new type of traveler who is going to be hugely health-conscious," said Jamaican Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett. Some workers will also want steps to reduce how often they have to touch the same surfaces as coworkers or multiple guests. Some companies may trial biometric technology, such as facial recognition, to replace high-touch items, like keypads for entering secured areas. Others might want to remove s