Short-term rental companies like AirBnB and Sonder have redefined how technology is used in the guest experience. Where once a front desk was needed to hand out keys and keep watch over who came into and left the building, there are now contactless check-in options and sophisticated door locks to perform the same functions. Where once hotel rooms needed to buy expensive cable packages and branded landing pages for their guest room televisions, there are now much cheaper means of providing quality in-room entertainment without signing up for expensive packages and contracts. All of this facilitated by smart phone technology and the internet, used by nearly all guests at this juncture in time.
Many organizations think that including every bell and whistle is necessary to improve the guest experience. Ascension Associates argues that less is more; guests and staff need a few aspects of the property to work really well, rather than a bunch of novelties that don’t truly improve the core guest experience. If a property has reliable wifi, a smooth check in and check out experience, and accessible guest room entertainment, that’s usually a recipe for success. And there are plenty of new technologies that vastly improve these aspects.
Traditional hotels are late to the game, perhaps smartly so since they allowed startups and first movers to identify the kinks in this new technology and operating model before diving headfirst into full on adoption themselves. Even so, legacy brands will never fully adopt these new technologies in ways that could materially change their operating model for fear of alienating their current guests. But if we look at where technology and the guests that use it are heading, we know that properties that embrace and use this technology will be far more competitive with this growing set of consumers.
Two big categories for properties to focus on, as described above, are access control and guest entertainment technologies. We’ll examine both a bit more thoroughly below.
Access Control: A Gateway to Opportunity
There are a plethora of access control solutions to meet the varying needs of properties. The common thread between the advancements made in access control technology is their ability to be remotely monitored and controlled via cloud-based software providers. There are many providers out there, from software provided by their hardware counterparts like dormakaba and Assa Abloy, to lock agnostic vendors like OpenKey and Lynx. Each of these providers has a number of solutions to fit different property needs, from mobile keys to native apps to randomly generated guest codes, allowing each guest to use the technology with which they are most comfortable. Moreover, these vendors can work with a plethora of property management systems (PMS), allowing property owners and employees the benefit of retaining their preferred operating system on the backend with minimal disruption to their current workflow.
What installing and using these new smart lock technologies allows properties to do is become highly flexible and adaptable in staffing their property and serving guests. Front desk employees no longer need to be chained to the desk, waiting for guests to arrive to “check in”, as they will already have received their check in code, virtual key, or app with all the property information needed. Property management is then free to reduce staffing in these roles or more strategically use these employees as concierge or a different back of house role. Buildings are more secure too, as guests will need to use the same means of entering their room to enter the property, keeping out unwelcome visitors. The possibilities are endless with this technology, and as advancements continue to be made, the limits will only be what you can imagine.
Guestroom Entertainment Made Easy
In-room guest entertainment has become an increasingly expensive amenity to provide guests, with few differentiating factors between the service providers. At a minimum, guests desire the ability to watch their favorite shows and movies from the myriad of streaming apps available, or watch a few select live television programs. There are cheaper and easier ways to accomplish this core offering, and Ascension Associates is adept at building and rolling out the means to operate and maintain a robust guestroom entertainment platform.
Both the Google Chromecast and the Roku Streaming Stick are excellent products for deploying across your property. Both can be configured to allow guests to stream their content right to the TV without storing their information on the device for the long term. Both are relatively inexpensive, with the Roku sticks coming in around $39.99 and the Google Chromecast ranging from $29.99 to $49.99. The Roku stick is particularly useful for its “Guest Mode” feature, allowing guests to select their checkout date, connect all of their account information directly to the device, and then upon checkout, the device wipes this information from its memory for the next guest to use. This feature, plus the multitude of free to guest channels and apps that Roku includes is why we’ve preferred deploying the Roku Streaming Sticks with our clients for many years. There are no mandatory monthly service fees to use these products too, unlike the expensive Guest Entertainment Platforms that many hotel chains are forced to use.
Hospitality Technology’s Double Edged Sword
While on the one hand these devices and software vastly improve the guest experience while lowering hotel costs, they can be tricky to deploy, and working with a deployment partner can bring peace of mind and stability to your tech transition. That’s where Ascension Associates comes in, as we are experts in designing and implementing hospitality tech transitions. We work with a variety of vendors to find the best products and services to fit your hotel or property needs, then monitor, control, and test the technology to ensure everything is functioning as intended. From access control to guest room entertainment, from CCTV and high speed internet upgrades to PMS and noise monitoring software, we are your partners in tech stack activation and implementation. Contact us today to see how we can help your property ascend.