It is said that competition is the mother of innovation. And faced with competition not only from other hotels, but also from disruptive players like Airbnb, some hotels have taken meaningful steps to differentiate their guest experiences by adopting innovations in technology.

According to a 2014 J. D. Power report, guest satisfaction in North American hotels is up significantly. Why? Hotels that are tapping into consumers’ wants — with devices and experiences that cooperate for immediate satisfaction — have already figured it out. Customer satisfaction, loyalty, and profitability are directly impacted by use of collaborative technologies and networks that put the customer first.

Robots

If you are staying at Aloft Cupertino, a boutique hotel near Apple’s headquarters, and order room service, you may get it delivered from their newest employee, A.L.O., a three-foot tall Botlr robot. “Our hotels are known for offering future-facing, tech-forward experiences, so it seemed only a natural fit to pilot the Botlr program at our Cupertino location,” said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President of Starwood’s Specialty Select Brands. “Boltr draws the greatest inspiration from the robots of our childhood with the productivity of Wall-E, the humor of Rosie from The Jetsons, and aesthetically reminiscent of perhaps the most famous robot of all, R2D2. We are thrilled with our newest talent member and look forward to further expanding this pilot in the upcoming year.”

Above: Botlr — Aloft Cupertino

Botlr wears a butler uniform and has 2 cubic feet of storage place. With just a touch of a button, it will deliver items such as toothbrushes, snacks, and chargers to its guests. It uses sensors to locate rooms and people. It calls the elevator via Wi-Fi, and when it arrives at the correct room, it uses the phone system to announce its arrival and a sensor to release the items.

Botlr communicates via a touch screen, and after a guest rates Botlr’s service, the robot will even do a celebratory dance if it gets a 5-start rating.

At New York City-based hotel Yotel, you’ll find a robotic concierge that will store your luggage if your room isn’t available yet, or if you are checking out and need a place to store your luggage. The robot, named YOBOT, sits behind a large glass panel where guests can view its movements. Using a touchscreen, guests enter the number and size of their bags, and YOBOT stores the luggage. The robot then issues the guest a receipt with a barcode for later retrieval.

Above: Yobot — Yotel New York

Infrared Scanners

One of the top customer complaints in the industry involves housekeeping interruptions, and hoteliers are taking a close look at the impact cleaning staff can have on the overall customer experience. Many have tight processes in place, such as knock and wait 10 seconds before entering; others have door hangers or magnets to alert staff that guests are in the room. Hotel 1000, a Seattle-based hotel, has found an innovative approach. Each of its rooms comes tricked out with an infrared sensor that detects body heat. If the sensor shows up on the door panel, hotel staff moves on and checks back later, ensuring that guests are never disturbed.

Keyless Entry

Security has always been a concern for hotels and their guests — especially when it comes to keys and key cards. Many hotels are now moving to keyless entry systems designed to provide users with convenience and higher levels of security.

Above: Retinal scanner — Nine Zero Boston

Some hotels are now offering their guests RFID-enabled key fobs or wrist bands that take the place of room keys and wallets. RFID provides a way for the hotel to offer its guests a customized experience — think walking up to the elevator and the elevator instantly responding to pick you up and take you to the floor where your room is located.

Other hotels like Alma Barcelona have taken keyless entry one step further and are now using fingerprint-activated room entry similar to that found on the new iPhones. And Nine Zero Hotel in Boston uses a retinal scanning device that provides even more accuracy and security than fingerprint identification.

Personalized Services

If robots and retina scans aren’t enough for you, there is a wide array of hi-tech personalized services available as well, including rooms that greet you by name, customized mood settings, and even hi-tech toilets with a motion activated lid, seat heater, and deodorizer.

Douglas Coupland once said, “Even when you take a break from technology, technology doesn’t take a break from you.” In this case, it’s true.

Imagine the incredible experience you would post, tweet, and blog about if you had a chance to stay at one of these properties. From robots to retina scans, heat sensors to finger-printing, hi-tech hotels are transforming the customer experience through collaborative technology investments and networks. Whether a hotel is looking to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty or to keep up with disruptors like Airbnb, it is hardly a competitor if it is not exploring what hi-tech capabilities it can bring to its guests.

Rhonda Parmiter has more than 20 years experience helping companies transform their customer experience. She currently works as VP of Customer Experience for Continuant, a managed services provider.

Source: venturebeat,com