How Hotels Can Turn RFID From Concept to Reality

Last week, we released our latest trends report, The State of Hotel In-Room Technology on the new generation of mobile first consumers, and how travel brands need to understand their needs. The report is sponsored by SONIFI™ Solutions, Inc., the hospitality industry leader in comprehensive, innovative, flexible, and dependable digital engagement and technology solutions.

Below is a short extract. Get the full report to understand this subject.

Mobile check-in technology at Starwood began with RFID in the SPG loyalty card (similar to other keyless card entry systems, just linked to a specific card instead of the hotel-supplied keycards), the keyless access is now relying on Bluetooth technology.

RFID, however, has many more uses for the guestroom, including improving the back-of-house of inventory management.

Steve Waldron, CIO of London-based Grange Hotels, suggested that better inventory management ultimately improves the guest experience, and that if a housekeeper could simply walk into a room and know if the bathrobes were in need of replenishment that would help everyone.

“That is going to be a revolution in the future,” he said. “Basically everything that has value and enhances guest experience will have an RFID chip in it for housekeeping to instantly room check to a Tablet–bathrobes, duvets, blankets and so on.”

The only obstacle it seems, is taking that leap within the guestroom. A Hospitality Upgrade article from 2007 outlines these same solutions to inventory problems, yet here we are in 2015 still talking about them as cutting-edge ideas.

The most prominent hospitality-related RFID success stories to date could be the usage demonstrated by Great Wolf Resorts in the waterpark space and Walt Disney Company’s MyMagic+ Band in the theme park space, which both use RFID wristbands for door locks, park entrance and point-of-sale payments.

The customer’s own device is an RFID in its own right, which can be useful for fire regulations at the very least, Waldron added.

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