In-Room Technology Keeps Guests Coming Back
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Many of the devices are designed to allow guests to stay connected with family and friends and their work while travelling so they need to connect to the internet. Accommodation providers now have to satisfy leisure guests, who expect to be entertained, and business guests, who expect to be able to conduct business. Guests prefer to use their own personal devices and usually do want not pay for hotel-based services. Hotel rooms need to allow guests to work as they do in the office, but at the same time be entertained as they are at home.
Consumer electronic products are an integral part of the design of hotel rooms, with connectivity panels being built in allowing guests to enjoy their own content on the in-room flat-screen TV and sound system. The ability to do this enhances the guest's experience and improves customer satisfaction. An online hotel survey found 65 per cent of hotel guests said they would choose one hotel over another if it offered superior in-room technology.
"Entertainment docking systems are a must in today's accommodation industry, whether it be for the range of iPods and MP3s or the latest iPhone or iTouch," says Inger Yardley, financial controller at Yardley Hospitality, a provider of electrical equipment and specialist hospitality items. "Even better are rooms equipped with docking stations integrated into modern flat screen TVs to allow guests to listen to their favourite music or view their favourite movies.
"These devices also allow the guest to recharge their phone and are invaluable if the guest has left their charger at home. Micro and mini systems with iPod docks inbuilt, iPod clock radios and iPod docks complete the range of available options.
"It is an absolute must for the business traveller to have access to this type of technology in room and assist guests who forget chargers. It also takes away the need for cables to play back music.
"Guests may wish to charge their chosen option of iPod and wake up to their own music. New models of iPod clock radios and docking stations synchronise with your iPhone or ITouch and have your settings displayed, which is great for the traveller.
"Some brands such as iHome have features that allow a volume maximum setting and also a switch on the rear, which allows you to add or take off an hour for daylight savings settings at the flick of a switch, which will save staff hours of work changing clocks.
"The look is still very important, as is the physical size, particularly on smaller bedside tables."
She says the new range of Philips' hotel LCDs have an inbuilt connectivity panel on the side, which allows the playback of iPod content directly through the LCD. However, the LCD will not charge the iPod.
Brendon Granger, of Business Development Asia Pacific (the parent company of Technology 4 Hotels), says portable smart technology has impacted on room design.
"First, the design of the desk in hotels has changed. No longer are they a writing desk, they are now being designed as a place where guests can work during their stay," he says. "There is now also the need for more power in the room, both at the desk and beside the bed. This is being factored into refurbishments, but personally I think designers need to do more in this area.
"Good lighting over the desk and a comfortable chair to work from for extended periods are now also a key guest requirement."
To remain competitive, Mr Granger says, hotels have to embrace new technology.
"Hotels that embrace the changing needs of their guests will be rewarded as guests will come back time and time again. Having been involved with the introduction of guest internet into hotels back in 2000, I witnessed firsthand how the guest demand grew from virtually nothing in 2000 to a must-have service for any hotel to remain competitive by 2004.
"The trend for connectivity panels is similar and I believe we have now reached a point where any new four or five-star hotel or major hotel refurbishment has to consider including them to remain competitive. In summary, guests expect a hotel to provide them with at least a similar entertainment experience as they have at home, if not better.
"One 160-room hotel that installed iPod/iPhone docks said that the guest feedback they received was amazingly positive. On top of that they estimate that the concierge team are saving approximately 20 hours a week previously spent actioning requests to charge iPhones (collecting phone, securing whilst charging, delivering/returning to guests)."
Last year, Technology 4 Hotels surveyed Australian business travellers to understand what they want and expect from their hotels when it comes to in-room technology. It also asked them how they respond if the in-room technology is not up to scratch.
The survey's main findings were: More than half the business guests considered the in-room technology offered when making a hotel booking; 70 per cent of guests would be stressed out, annoyed or furious if they could not use the in-room technology; and almost half the guests who had problems using the in-room technology would never stay at that property again.
Technology 4 Hotels is the agent for the TeleAdapt range of products, including the latest MediaHub HD connectivity panel, which offers guests maximum in-room media connectivity including complete standard and high definition multi-media plug ports. Mr Granger says it is the only unit on the market with stereo Bluetooth for wireless music streaming and it also has expandability options for adding auto-sensing iPod docks etc.
The MediaHub HD only requires a single HDMI connection to the TV. This makes installation easier. He says a single HDMI connection is important as TV manufacturers are reducing the AV (RCA) ports on TVs.
The latest TVs and MediaHub HD also support the Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) that operates over the HDMI cable. CEC allows for individual CEC-enabled devices to command and control each other without user intervention. In the case of the MediaHub HD unit, this means that as soon as a guest connects a device to the MediaHub, the MediaHub detects this and via CEC wakes the TV from standby and switches to the appropriate input, automatically displaying the guest's content.
"We also supply the iHome, iPhone/iPod clock radios," he says. "These are the only units on the market that have specific hotel features, including a single-day alarm, maximum volume control and locking of time adjustment and preset radios stations.
"The unit also comes with a security lanyard. We are also now talking with a couple of hotels regarding iPad docking clock radios for their suites.
"We also have a product called the ChargeHub, which is a universal multi-device charger compatible with over 2000 devices from more than 50 brands. The unit charges up to four devices simultaneously. It is designed to be built into the joinery in the guest room or it can be used at reception, concièrge desk or in banqueting to handle any guest-charging requirements."
