|
|
High-tech Hotels
April 2003
Three innovations automate hotel life
By Nancy Branka
With a downturn in business travel and a smaller market to compete over, hotel companies are differentiating themselves with some new high-tech features and services. And they're looking to cut costs. Here are three innovations that set the tone for an upscale and efficient stay, using new technology.
MINIBAR WITH A BRAIN
Hotel guests love to hate the minibar. Still, it's an essential feature in any hotel room, despite sky-high snack prices. One company has revolutionized the minibar by upgrading its technology: Bartech Systems International has come up with a smart minibar.
The minibar is "wired" and tied into a central computer system. After the guest checks in, the bar is automatically unlocked when the room's phone is turned on. If a candy bar or beer is removed from its designated location for more than 90 seconds, the customer is charged and housekeeping crews know the number of items that need to be replaced in the room.
These newfangled minibars aren't cheap: each comes with a $700-$1,500 pricetag. But hoteliers benefit in several important ways: they save on labor costs because the housekeeping staff does not need to check daily for minibar use. The smart minibars also prevent most pilferage. (Apparently, it's not uncommon for beverages to be consumed, then the bottles refilled with water and replaced in the minibar). And theoretically the guest benefits as well, having room charges up-to-date upon check-out.
Bartech Systems also makes another line of products that automate the hotel stay: thermostats, safe-deposit boxes and welcome lights. So don't be surprised to see automation affect even the smallest feature of your hotel room in the future.
A "HOMETOWN" NEWSPAPER—ANYWHERE
Walk through any hotel corridor at 6 a.m. and every room will have a USA Today or Wall Street Journal
on its threshold. Travelers depend on reading the newspaper, but because many are not interested in local news, they settle for national news publications.
Now some hotels chains like InterContinental, as well as select Sheraton, Hilton, Radisson SAS, and Ritz-Carlton properties, are offering guests their preferred newspaper (from their home-base or anywhere of interest)—no matter where they are in the world. The paper is a black-and-white broadsheet printout resembling a photocopy, which is stapled and includes the front and business sections.
The newspapers are provided through NewspaperDirect, which prints digitally-imaged full-format newspapers (including ads). More than 150 newspaper titles are offered, everything from the New York Times to Le Monde. The service is of particular interest to international business travelers, who can keep up with what's happening at home, even when they are around the globe.
GUEST-DETECTION
Get ready for big brother in the hotel world. Lodging Technology makes a room system called GEM, which detects a guest's presence in the room using infrared sensor technology. Positioned at the entry door, the system "knows" when the guest leaves the room.
The big plus for management is that the system is tied to the hotel's heating and air-conditioning system, so when the room is unoccupied, heat or air conditioning can be adjusted accordingly—with great cost savings. (The company claims the system reduces HVAC expenses by 35 to 45 percent.)
The GEM system includes a guest-in-room detector, which lets housekeeping and minibar staffs, maintenance, security and management know when the room is vacant. Hotel employees use a hand-held scanner, directed at the room's doorframe. A red light on the scanner indicates a person is in the room; a green light indicates the room is empty. A separate feature allows the front desk and management to monitor room occupancy remotely.
The GEM system does offer a few benefits to guests. No longer are you interrupted in the room with housekeeping staff knocking. The room can be cleaned if you inadvertently leave the "do not disturb" sign on the door. And occupancy can be checked in the event of fire or emergency.
Without a doubt, advances in technology are paving the way for countless innovations in hotels. When new gadgets and gismos help hotels cut costs and provide guests with added conveniences, they're here to stay.
A HISTORY OF HIGH-TECH HOTEL INNOVATIONS
1900: A typical first-class hotel offers steam heat, gas burners, electric call bells, baths and closets on all floors.
1904: New York's St. Regis Hotel provides individually controlled heating and cooling units in each guest room.
1927: The Hotel Statler in Boston becomes the first hotel with radio reception; rooms are equipped with individual headsets.
1934: The Hotel Statler in Detroit offers a central system to air condition every public room.
1947: New York's Roosevelt Hotel installs television sets in all guest rooms.
1957: Hilton offers direct-dial telephone service.
1958: Sheraton introduces automated electronic reservations system and toll-free reservation number.
1973: The Sheraton-Anaheim offers free, in-room movies.
1983: VingCard invents the optical electronic key card. Westin offers reservations and checkout using major credit cards.
1989: Hyatt introduces a business center at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
1991: Westin is the first hotel chain to provide in-room voice mail.
1995: Choice Hotels International and Promus offer guests 'real time' access to their central reservations system. Choice and Holiday Inn introduce online booking.
1997: Four Seasons Hotel Austin is the first hotel to install a high- speed wireless
Internet network.
1999: Choice Hotels International is the first chain to test making in-room PCs a standard amenity.
source: American Hotel & Motel Association
Back to top
|
|
|
|
