Four industry executives spoke with LODGING about the technology that they are most excited to see appear in the hotel space.
Keith Cline, president and CEO, La Quinta: “Voice-activated artificial intelligence is becoming more and more prominent, and it’s going to have a very interesting application within the hotel environment. If you think about the advances Google Home and Amazon Echo have made in only a few years, as well as consider what they’ve learned in that span of time, they can teach us a lot about our guests and how to enhance their experiences at our hotels.”
Photo credit: Jay Brousseau
John Edwards, CIO, RLHC: “The ability to deliver consumer entertainment solutions in the guestroom. Whether that’s from a casting-type solution, where I can take content from my mobile device and send it to the in-room TV, or it’s allowing guests to log into their personal Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon accounts to get a solution they’re familiar with from home and see the content they would choose to watch if they were sitting on their couch in their living room.”
Amanda Marcello, vice president, food and beverage, RLHC: “Our new Beacon technology, which will allow us to spend more time on the human aspect of hospitality than on the information-gathering side. It will allow lead service staff to have new knowledge and recognize and delight guests through a familiarity with their preferences.”
Jonathan Wilson, vice president, product innovation and brand services, Hilton Worldwide: “Voice control is not only going to make its mark in guestrooms, but throughout the entirety of the guest journey. Voice control is going to be relevant from the moment they decide to book the hotel until they return home. The shuttle bus from the airport to the hotel, the lobby experience, how guests interact with meeting spaces—those are all elements to consider when determining how this technology will impact hotels.”
