Trendspotting: Personal Technology

It’s pretty much impossible create a “one-size-fits-all” guest experience. Everyone who enters a hotel has different needs and expectations. The key is finding a way to meet them all and deliver what the guest is looking for. To achieve this, many hoteliers are turning to technology that helps personalize the guest experience. This trend could become especially prevalent in the in-room entertainment space, where new technology has guests controlling everything from the lights and shades to the television with their phones. According to Nunzio DeSantis, EVP of architecture and design firm HKS and director of HKS Hospitality Group, incorporating guests’ smartphones into the guestroom design is on the horizon. “Technology has allowed rooms to become wonderfully customizable and personal, and there’s nothing more personal than a guest’s smartphone,” he says. “We’re going to be able to transform guests’ experiences on an individualized level.”