That 2020 will forever be marked as a kind of ‘year zero’ for global society is an undeniable reality. But it is also true that after a year of transition to the ‘almighty’ new normal, 2022 will be marked by the rise of digitization and the acceleration of the incorporation of new technological trends in companies, in their eagerness to adapt to the new social and economic scenario. This is the case of the hospitality sector, which is already looking towards the new year with the hope of recovery. As well as travelers, who are eager to resume postponed getaways and plans.
Technological trends for hotels
And, what will be the main technological trends that the hospitality sector will join next year? Below we list some of the ones that will gain greater prominence in 2022:
1.Virtual assistant
It is a booming solution that eases the connection between tour operators and hotels, with users, from the beginning to the end of the trip. Thanks to the Artificial Intelligence of the virtual assistant that speaks with the guest. This helps you solve doubts and allows you to reserve services through devices such as mobile phones.
2.Voice control
An option that increasingly plays a more important role in hotel establishments and that boosts user comfort. And it is that the guest can control aspects such as the lighting, the air or the heating and, even, obtain tourist information.
3.Contactless technology
With the help of a wearable or through a mobile phone, guests can access their room, make room service orders and reservations, personal requests and even cashless payments. An example of this is Goguest, a platform aimed at the tourism sector that enables the use of features that help increase revenue and efficiency, which translates into greater profitability. All this facilitates control by the hotel, removing waiting times, and increases speed and safety, by avoiding contact.
4.Robotisation
A trend that is on the rise, undoubtedly motivated by the zero contact caused by the pandemic. Although it is true that it is a solution that will take years to implement globally, there are already some hotels that use robots to receive their guests, handle luggage or carry out disinfection tasks. Henn-na in Nagasaki became the world’s first hotel with robotic staff, and the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner hotel in Virginia has had a robotic concierge since 2016.
5.Virtual reality
The possibilities for interaction and personalisation are endless in the tourism landscape. And virtual reality offers the traveler the possibility of living all kinds of experiences through virtual tours: from trips to the other side of the world, to proximity getaways. And, on this journey, the hotels add a 360-degree tour of their facilities to their ‘menu’. An ideal tool that helps the guest to dispel possible doubts when choosing one hotel or another.
6.Business intelligence
It makes it easier for the hotel to obtain detailed information about its guests in order to identify other competitors and create differences with high added value. Thanks to the digitisation of the actions carried out by the user, these are registered, and the establishment can monitor and analyze the consumption habits of its clients to improve their experience, which translates into an increase in profitability.
7.Interconectivity
Another upward trend in the hotel sector. Save time and increase guest comfort by having a single multifunction device at your fingertips with which to perform actions such as opening the room, turning on the lights and controlling the television or temperature.
8.Big data
There are already many companies that have jumped on the big data train. A technology with which hotels can improve the guest experience by offering them, services tailored to their preferences. Something that is possible thanks to the collection of data that can also help manage income more comfortably and use it to make comparisons, anticipating future demands or trends.
9.Facial or fingerprint recognition
To perform actions as simple as accessing the hotel room without the need of contact. All this to increase the feeling of safety of the guest, an aspect that today has become more fundamental than ever.
All of them are solutions that will greatly help the hospitality industry to increase its competitiveness in 2022. Because the use of these tools provides hotels with high added value thanks to technology and innovation; an indispensable binomial to achieve the long-awaited recovery
