Smart Hotel
Smart Hotel - advantages for hotel owners and guests
The concept of a smart hotel is one of the most exciting technological megatrends of our time and opens up many new possibilities, as smart hotel software is generally a sophisticated software solution for managing hotel properties. The idea of largely digitizing a classic hotel room is not only a great asset for guests, but it also makes a hotelier's life much easier.
We explain the benefits of a smart hotel for guests and hoteliers and give you valuable tips on how you can transform your hotel into a smart hotel.
What is a Smart Hotel?
A smart hotel is a hotel in which state-of-the-art technologies are used to optimize work processes, improve guest comfort and increase the hotel's profitability.
With a smart hotel, you as a guest can make the necessary arrangements before you arrive and avoid long waiting times at reception. Check-in or check-out can be facilitated with the help of an app or directly at the terminal in the hotel lobby bar.
By using these modern technologies and the associated digitalization and automation, employees have more time to pamper guests and devote themselves to other important tasks. We at TourSol can help you to equip your hotel with intelligent hotel systems and thus optimize your hotel operations.
Guide for smart hotels
The coronavirus crisis in particular has shown that digitalization has become an indispensable tool in our society. Many hoteliers have had to completely reorganize themselves and their hotels and invest in smart technologies. It became not only possible, but even necessary to be able to check in to hotel rooms or guesthouses without contact. In upscale hotels, mobile robots have become established for room service, which also make work easier for hotel staff.
When used skilfully, these digitalization measures can reduce the workload of employees thanks to greater efficiency, lower operating costs and increase the comfort and satisfaction of your guests. However, it is important to weigh up where the smart concepts represent added value and where personal contact with guests is beneficial. Because as great and popular as such innovations are, the friendly and competent interaction of well-trained hotel staff with guests also significantly increases their well-being.
5 advantages of smart hotels
1. personalization
One of the main advantages of smart hotel rooms is that they offer guests a particularly personalized service. For example, hotel guests can use digitalization to set up the coordinates in their room quickly and easily according to their wishes.
In fact, guests can quickly change room conditions via a smart hub, tablet or other central control point. With Smart Hotel technology, lighting, air conditioning and heating can respond to these commands and then automatically maintain the desired settings.
2. sustainability
For hotel management, one of the biggest advantages is the reduction in costs normally associated with the room concept. This is primarily due to the increased sustainability and energy efficiency of the hotel rooms, as lighting and appliances are only used when they are actually needed.
For example, a smart room can be set so that the power of light bulbs is automatically reduced during the day or the heating is automatically switched off when the room reaches a certain temperature or is unoccupied. Sensors detect when hotel guests leave the room and transmit this information to the light switches, whereupon the lights are switched off automatically. This means less energy is wasted, which is good for the environment.
3. the guest experience is improved
Another advantage of smart rooms is the improvement of the guest experience. Intelligent speakers, such as those offered by Alexa for the hospitality industry, can control lighting, televisions, heating and other devices using voice commands.
Smart Centers can understand questions and respond immediately by using the Internet.
This means that guests can often save themselves a call to reception and simply find out for themselves where they can have a good meal, what events are taking place nearby and much more.
4. room remote controls
Hotel staff can access the controls for different rooms remotely, which is very useful when hotel rooms need to be prepared for new guests. This can also improve the convenience of check-in.
For example, smart hotels can be set so that the heating in the hotel room switches on automatically at a certain time before the guest checks in. This means that when guests arrive, the room is already at the right temperature and the lighting is pleasant and appropriate for the time of day, so that guests immediately feel completely at ease.
5. reliable and faster repairs
Finally, an often overlooked benefit of smart spaces is the ability to anticipate technical problems and quickly fix equipment issues. This allows the smart hotel to avoid situations where repairs would affect the guest experience and, in case of doubt, carry out the necessary maintenance work quickly.
5 tips for transforming your hotel into a smart hotel
While more and more property owners are ready to embrace smart hotel rooms, many are unsure how to actually implement a smart hotel system. To help you answer this question, we give you five tips on how to transform your hotel accordingly.
1. intelligent room control
One of the most popular ways to turn hotels into smart hotels is to add personalized room management. With this technology, devices such as air conditioning, heating, lighting and even curtains can be controlled centrally.
2. voice-controlled entertainment
Smart hubs and speakers can connect to entertainment devices to control these devices with voice commands. In this way, guests can use simple voice commands to switch the TV on and off, change the program and also switch the light on and off.
As a hotelier, however, you can develop this concept further if required and enable users to execute even more complex commands.
3. faster guest service
Connecting devices with hotel services is just one of many Smart Hotel solutions that allow you to fulfill the wishes of hotel guests even faster.
The rooms in smart hotels are equipped with a voice-activated smart hub or an app on the hotel's tablet. Using these apps, guests can order room service by speaking into the smart hub or book a spa appointment with simple voice commands.
4. sustainable hotel rooms
Many guests are increasingly interested in sustainability and are therefore prepared to pay a little more for environmentally friendly brands and concepts. At the same time, it is also worthwhile for hotel management to focus on sustainability in order to reduce energy costs. With our cost analysis calculation tool, you always have a perfect overview of your budget and cost factors.
5. interactive maps
Using interactive wall maps, standard hotel rooms can be transformed into smart rooms which, thanks to the internet connection, show you reviews and opening times of nearby restaurants, for example.
The TourSol recommendation
Every successful hotel should focus on smart hotel solutions. It is absolutely worthwhile for a hotelier to focus on process simplification and a clear and fresh brand experience in order to stand out from the competition and offer guests a unique and carefree hotel experience. Satisfied guests like to come back and recommend your hotel to others.
As experts in the hotel and tourism industry, we at TourSol can use our know-how to help you make targeted use of your resources, simplify work processes, increase turnover and, above all, improve guest satisfaction. Get smart with us!
