Everybody feels more at home when they know what is around them, and how to get to where they need to go. Easy access to wayfinding technology helps travelers feel more at home and at ease with their surroundings. 2. In the medical industry, wayfinding technology can point patients and visitors quickly to specific rooms or wards, decreasing tension for people already stressed over a medical situation. 3. Familiarity with a facility brings confidence for any guest. Wayfinding signage is a practical way to add comfort anyone visiting your place of business by giving them searchable access to exactly where they need to go. 4. Aside from location awareness, wayfinding software can also give guests direct access to information about where they want to go. If they are searching for the closest steakhouse, they will also know which one has the rankings, what is on the menu, if they deliver, and what time they close. 5. In-house amenities are quickly and readily viewable, making it easy for guests to know what is available to them right there. Guests can see hours of operation, services, menus, contact information, and location within the facility which allows them to take advantage of what …
In this Microsoft video, we can catch a glimpse of the not-too-distant future. Business travel is all about being connected; travelers have the ability to schedule tasks and integrate them directly into their hotel room. They stay in touch with family – even bake cookies with their children – via mobile devices that virtually bring everyone to the same room. We see a woman (Ayla) checking into her hotel as she’s arriving by cab. The staff is alerted of her arrival and is given a quick overview of her needs and preferences. She is able to interact with her colleagues directly from her hotel room. She has access to her own content and software on the devices in her room, turning the room into an office. Later in the video, we see her helping her daughter with school and cooking, all while using devices in the hotel. Ayla is made comfortable while she is away from home because of the ability to quickly communicate with those from her own town. Information about the new city is easy to find every step of her way, letting her know what is nearby, and even pointing out the places she will be visiting …
A recent segment on the Today Show dealt with a growing issue in the competitive tourism industry. Now that most locations are listed on review sites around the web, a new type of scam has emerged in the form of fake reviews. The video shows that some companies have even hired services to post fake reviews in order to boost sales and they are getting away with it, in spite of FTC regulations. Most of us today depend on website reviews to make plans, but this story shows that even some of the photos have been altered to skew the viewers’ perceptions of where they are going. Some restaurant owners have even admitted to faking bad reviews about their competition. In this age of information, how do we distinguish between true and false? What is the industry doing to protect consumers? The American Hotel and Lodging Association says, “Misleading potential guests is not only ethically objectionable, it also minimizes the chance for repeat business, word-of-mouth referrals, and positive online reviews.” Jeff Rossen of NBC News says to focus on the average reviews and ignore the extreme – the most amazing or the worst are more likely to be false. As …
Teletext Holidays surveyed 3000 British travelers and discovered an interesting change in the landscape of travel. Nearly 20% of the people surveyed had booked a vacation due to what they had seen from their friends on Facebook. Of these, 13% had booked identical vacations after seeing photos posted, and another 6% booked based merely on a status update. Word of mouth advertising has long been the most trusted. Social networking sites have made it much easier for word of mouth to get around, especially in pictures. When a large group of friends went to Disney World a few months ago, I immediately started dreaming of taking my family – something I had previously felt would never be a desired vacation for us. Part of this is due to the eye catching views posted from hotel rooms, landmarks, attractions, or even restaurants. Although we all have access to those types of photos by visiting tourist websites, seeing people you know in those settings seems to make these vacations much more desirable and obtainable. Another factor in this is the play-by-play type of story-telling that occurs with the combination of smart phones and social networking. Not so long ago, friends would leave …
New advancements in guest technology With the level of technology in hotels on the rise, many in the hospitality industry are competing to have the newest and the most in terms of guest technology. Combining the technology available today, guests can check in with their phone, have the power turn on in their room when they walk in the door (and turn back off when they leave), tether their phone to the TV in their rooms, watch a movie via blue-ray/movies on demand/internet/cell phone, control air and water temperature via complicated systems, and check out by sending a text. But what do guests actually want? When it comes to staying away from home, guests’ needs are still basic. They want cleanliness. They want comfort. Most guests aren’t spending the majority of their stay in their hotel room. Would it benefit hotel managers to think more about where to put their technology dollars? Guest technology is a fast-growing market and is changing guest experience in a permanent way. Since basic in-room needs aren’t going to change much beyond connectivity, managers would do well to pay attention. Being one step ahead of your competitor is crucial in today’s market, but sometimes industry …