New generation travelers are used to being able to organize their travel from their smartphones and tablets. But how do they feel about hotel technology? How important is being able to book, check-in and open their room door with their smartphones – as hetras' technology allows them? The company Software Advice recently conducted an online survey of randomly selected US travelers. The survey's aim: finding out which technologies travelers actually want.
These are the results:
- A combined 60 % of respondents are more likely to choose a hotel that allows guests to check in and open doors with a smartphone than a hotel that doesn’t.
- On average, 13 % of smartwatch owners ages 18 to 34 are much more likely to book a hotel with smartwatch technology than one without.
- A combined 37 % of respondents are at least moderately likely to choose a hotel with lobby technology, such as touchscreens and check-in kiosks, over one without.
- A total of 41 % are likely, to varying degrees, to choose a hotel with facial recognition technology that can identify guests and enhance personalization.
- 40 % of respondents say that the primary benefit of hospitality technology should be to reduce travel costs.
As the survey shows, being able to do things with their smartphones is right at the top of travelers' list of preferences. One of the latest attainments here is being able to open room doors with an app. A service that the hotel chain HTL hotels already offers its guest with hetras' technology. Joachim Högefjord, CEO of HTL hotels, is extremely positive about this new service: "The system is not only extremely easy to use, but guests also really enjoy using it."
However, the survey results also show that hotels should hold off investing in smartwatch technology, which is not yet quite as widely used, as only 37 % of respondents own or plan to buy one of these devices.
Another conclusion drawn from the survey: Millennials, which are now the most predominant segment of travelers hotels want to attract, are most likely to choose a hotel with the aforementioned technologies. Incorporating these technologies is therefore an effective means for boosting bookings in particular from younger travelers.
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