According to recent data analyses, a travel boom is expected for summer 2021. As many hotels have experienced low occupancies, they’ve been forced to cut back on and furlough staff members; hotels can implement new technologies to make the transition into a larger staff smoother. Here are some recently released technologies that could be implemented at hotels:
Updated May 12, 2021.
UV Chat by UrVenue and Satisfi Labs
UrVenue and Satisfi Labs partnered to create UV Chat, an AI contactless customer service and booking chatbot solution. Hotels can implement UV Chat on guest-facing apps, websites, on-property kiosks, and other messaging platforms. In the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, guests and hotels alike want as many touchpoints eliminated as possible to keep both travelers and employees safe, and UV Chat prioritizes safety and social distancing. The software delivers real-time information to guests that might not be available on search engines, which increases direct bookings for a variety of offerings including hotel rooms, concert tickets, and amenity rentals, among others. UV Chat is currently being piloted at the Godfrey Hotel & Cabanas in Tampa, Fla.
Pendant Loudspeakers by Bose Professional
Bose has released four new pendant loudspeakers including the DM3P and DM5P loudspeakers, the DM6PE outdoor-rated loudspeaker, and the DM10P-SUB subwoofer. The speakers work best in open-ceiling installations, and each unit provides a recessed single-point suspension system, which allows the hardware to be hidden or kept out of sight. The loudspeakers are in the DesignMax line, which includes coaxial two-way loudspeakers and subwoofers. The new models can be paired with some Bose DSPs and amplifiers. With the new loudspeakers, there are now 16 DesignMax products in Bose’s line.
Hands-Free Screen Control by Videotel Digital
Videotel Digital has released its contactless Hands-Free Screen Control interactive digital signage solution. The Hands-Free Screen Control software will align with the company’s VP90 Digital Signage media player. Viewers can access the digital signage through a QR code, supporting contactless and socially distant operations. The QR code link transfers the control of the signage to a smartphone, allowing the viewer to navigate and control the digital signage without having to touch an actual screen.
P Series Upgrades by Sharp NEC Display Solutions
The P Series large format displays by Sharp NEC Display Solutions are valuable to the finance, healthcare, restaurant, retail, and transportation industries, as well as for hospitality. The upgrades have better display imagery and resolution in addition to offering the ability to message. Sharp NEC’s proprietary SpectraView Engine is compatible with the color gamut included in the upgrades. The displays also have a multiple picture mode, which gives users the ability to show multiple images simultaneously, which could be beneficial for data inputs that need quick scanning. The P Series is available in 43-inch, 49-inch, and 55-inch displays.
Operto Guest Technologies Partners With NoiseAware
Smart technology provider Operto Guest Technologies and smart noise monitoring company NoiseAware announced a partnership to link their specialties onto the Operto Connect platform. The NoiseAware software is privacy-safe for guests, so the Operto Connect platform now prevents gaps in revenue and bookings, which provides peace of mind for all clients. In addition to hotels and short-term rentals, vacation spots, apartments, and lodging accommodations can benefit from this technology.
PMS Solution Updates by Visual Matrix
Hotel housekeeping productivity tracking and guest texting functions have been integrated onto the Visual Matrix PMS platform. With the software, hoteliers can operate efficiently with reduced staff to improve response times and assist employees during recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Housekeeping staff can determine the daily tasks that they have been assigned using a mobile device instead of pen-and-paper tracking. And, hoteliers can see which of their employees are the most productive to optimize their resources. In addition, the VM Guest Tracking software allows hotels to send and receive text messages with guests through the PMS platform.
myDigitalOffice (MDO) Acquires Broadvine
Performance management platform MDO has acquired Broadvine, a hotel performance planning application that includes cloud-based budgeting and forecasting. Adding the Broadvine technology expands MDO’s platform by adding hotel budgeting capabilities and week-over-week forecasts to the software. Through the combined software, customers will be able to accumulate their data on one platform, review and edit budgets, create customer-targeted budgets and forecasts, and compare budgets of multiple hotels across their portfolio. Broadvine’s current customers will also benefit from MDO’s resources.
