As consumers become more sophisticated about technology in their professional and personal lives, they expect more from hotels when they travel. A hotel’s technology offerings are an important factor when choosing a hotel, according to a majority of respondents to a SmartBrief poll. Savvy hotels are responding by adapting their guest rooms, meeting spaces, lobbies and front desks to today’s technology advances. The changes are improving the guest experience as well as making hotels more inviting to younger travelers – the market every hotelier is trying to accommodate and attract – who see technology as an essential part of their lives. Read on to learn about the most important trends in hospitality technology.

1. 10Hospitality
Technology
Trends YouNeed
toKnowAbout
As consumers become more sophisticated about technology in their professional and personal lives, they
expect more from hotels when they travel. A hotel’s technology offerings are an important factor when
choosing a hotel, according to a majority of respondents to a SmartBrief poll. Savvy hotels are responding by
adapting their guest rooms, meeting spaces, lobbies and front desks to today’s technology advances. The
changes are improving the guest experience as well as making hotels more inviting to younger travelers – the
market every hotelier is trying to accommodate and attract – who see technology as an essential part of their
lives. Read on to learn about the most important trends in hospitality technology.
Sponsored by:

2. Device-andEntertainment
- Autonomy
Service
Automation
Whethertravelingforbusinessorleisure,whocanlive
withouttheirsmartphoneortabletthesedays?Nearlyhalf
ofSmartBriefpollrespondentstravelwithtwodevices,
andanotherthirdtravelwiththreeormoredevices.
Technologyisessentialtoguests,andtheyexpecthotels
toaccommodatetheirtechneeds.Onecompanyhelping
guestsconnecttheirtechnologywithahotel’sofferings
isShodogg.Theserviceallowsgueststosynctheirmobile
devicewithahoteltelevision,allowingthemtoaccesstheir
ownlibraryofmovies,music,photosandsocialmediasites
suchasFacebookandTwitter.
“TheShodoggtechnologyremovestheemphasison
hardware,whichhasbecomeadrainonthehospitality
marketbecauseofhowquicklynewproductsarebeing
launched,”ShodoggC.E.O.HerbMitschelesaid.“Our
technologyenablesgueststoaccessandcontrolcontent—
photos,videos,music—fromanymobiledevicetoany
hotelTVenabledwithourtechnology.Ourtechnologyis
evolutionary,soitwillworkondevicesinthemarkettoday
ordevicesthathavenotyetlaunched,allowinghotelsto
alwayshavethelatestmediaoptionsintheirguestrooms.”
Onedecisionfacinghoteliersiswheretoinvesttheir
technologyspending.Whenpolled,morethanhalfsaid
theyfocustheirtechnologypurchasinginthecoming
yearontheguestroom.Hotelsalsoareaccommodating
guests’devicesbyredesigningaspectsoftheguestroom.
HamptonHotelsnowrequiresitspropertiestohave
connectivitypanelsineachguestroomthathavetwoUSB
portsandthreeelectricaloutlets.Theunitsaremounted
desksideoronthenightstand.Havingtheseresources
available—withouthavingtomovefurnitureorseekthem
outonyourhandsandknees—allowsgueststohavea
betteruserexperiencewhileenjoyingcontentontheir
devices.
Nowatmorethan500hotelsworldwide,Intelityis
helpinghotelsdothisthroughitsICEapplication.Guests
cancontactthehotelwithavarietyofrequests,andthe
systemsendstherequestdirectlytothestaffpersonwho
canfulfillit.Morethan85percentofhotelguestsusethe
systemduringtheirstay,accordingtoC.E.O.DavidAdelson,
whosaidthetoprequestsareforroomservice,wake-up
callsandhousekeeping.InMay,thecompanydebuteda
newplatform,ICESapphire,designedtoreplacethealarm
clockintheguestroom.Atabletdeviceonadockwould
offeranalarmclock,morethan300worldradiostations
andavarietyofguestservices.
“Thistypeoftechnologyiswheremigrationishappening.”
Adelsonsaid.“Thisiswhattheguestexpects.It’snolonger
whatthehotelwantsustosupplyasadifferentiator,it’swhat
theguestexpectstoseewhentheyareinyourhotel.”
Hotelsaremovingforwardwithotherautomated
systems.Thejust-openedHyattUnionSquareinNew
Yorktargetsguestswhohavebusinessinthecity’s
“SiliconAlley,”whichmeansitneedstooffertechnology
thatservesthosetravelers.Guestsgetasenseofthe
technologyfocusassoonastheyenterthehotelwith
thethreecheck-inoptions:aniPadcheck-inwithstaff
called“galleryhosts,”acheck-inkioskandatraditional
frontdesk.About40percentofguestschoosetheiPad
option,saidGeneralManagerChrisHolbrook,aveteran
ofInterContinentalandKimptonproperties.Staffeven
canmakearoomkeyontheiPad.“It’snicetohaveoptions
fortheguest,”Holbrooksaid.“Wewanttomakesureit’s
quick,seamlessandmemorable.
Guestsarequicklyadaptingtothistrend.Askedina
SmartBriefpolliftheywouldcheckinusinganautomated
kiosk,morethan91percentsaidtheyhadtrieditor
plannedtotryit,anotherindicationthattheyareready
nowtostartusingtechnologyduringeverystepoftheir
travel.
Trend
#1
Trend
#2Guestsaretravelingwithmoredevices,
whichmeanstheyalsoarebringingtheirown
entertainmentoptions.
Guestsprefertoorderroomservice,makea
housekeepingrequestorcontactthevalet
indirectlyratherthanbyphone.
TheAndazFifthAvenuealsooffersmobilecheck-inasa
friendlieroptiontoatraditionalfrontdesk.“Itdoesn’t
needtobeatransactionalinteraction,”saidKelly
Overstreet,thehotel’sdirectorofmarketingandevents.
One
None Two
Three or more
How many devices
do you travel with?
45%
40%
14%
1%
76.16%
14.86%
5.65%
3.33%
Would you
check in using an
automated kiosk?
Yes, and
I already have
Yes, it sounds
convenient
No, it’s too
impersonal
I’m not familiar
with this technology
3 4

3. The “New” Perks
The Lobby as a Tech Hub
TheMuseNewYork,aKimpton
Hotel,offersguestsNooke-readersto
useduringtheirstay.Thedevicesare
pre-programmedwithbooks,magazines
andothercontentandguestscantake
themoffproperty.“Wewantedtocreate
somethingforguest(s)thatwaspersonal,”
GeneralManagerErickaNelsonsaid.“They
canrelaxandenjoythemselves.”Another
KimptonpropertyinNewYork,Eventi,
offersa“businessbar”stockedwithiPads
andiPadMinisinsteadofatraditional
businesscenterandwirelessprintingis
availablethroughoutthehotel.
ThesetechnologyperkssetKimpton
apartfromthecompetition,although
notallhoteliersseethemasagood
investment.WhenSmartBriefasked
hotelprofessionalswhetherhotels
Hotelsaretryingtoencourageguests
tospendtimeinlobbiesbyoffering
programming,residential-stylefurniture
andplentifulelectricaloutlets.Evenwhen
guestswanttoworkindependently,
theyoftenwanttodosoaroundother
people.TheprototypeforHilton’snew
extended-staybrandHome2Suites
includesanopenlobbyconceptcalledthe
Oasisthatincludesa52-inchtelevision
andacommunaltablewithoutletswhere
guestscanworkonlaptops.Attheultra-
hipAceHotelinManhattan,thelobbyis
consistentlyfilledwithlaptop-ortablet-
totingguestsatthewoodencommunal
tablesandplushsectionals.
AllofStarwood’sAloftproperties
includeanIntelityICEapplicationon
touchscreensintheirlobbies.Dubbedthe
shouldofferguestsin-roomiPads,iPods
ordesktopcomputers,morethanhalfsaid
no.Thisseemstoindicatethathoteliers
arenotprioritizingaccesstotechnologyas
highlyashotelguests.Theyneedtobemore
concernedwithprovidingtheirguestsaccess
totechnologyandmeaningfuldigitalcontent.
Onecompanytryingtohelphotels
bridgethatgapisRoomlinx.Usingtheguest
roomtelevision,itprovidesprovidesmedia,
entertainmentandbusinesssolutionssuch
asaccesstoaguest’sownNetflixaccount
andtheMicrosoftOfficesuite.Guestscan
travelwithfewerdeviceswhilestillaccessing
thedigitalcontenttheywant.AndazFifth
AvenueoffersRoomlinx.“Itreallyisalmost
likeahomecomputerontheTV,”saidKelly
Overstreet,directorofmarketingandevents.
Trend
#3
Trend
#4
Hotelsaremakingiteasierforguestswhotravel
withoutdevicesbyprovidingiPads,iPodsand
Nookswithcustomcontent,aswellastreatslike
magazineandnewspapersubscriptionsandmore
robustentertainmentonguestroomtelevisions.
FromofferingoversizetouchscreenstoWii
tournamentstocommunaltableswithpower
jacks,thelobbyisnolongerjustawaystationfor
guests.
“CoolConcierge,”guestscanlookuplocal
attractions,printboardingpassesand
accesshotelinformation.
Andhere’soneunusualtechperk
that’sboundtotakeoffathotels:At
AndazFifthAvenue,thehotelhasafree
GEBrightboxchargingstationinthe
lobbywhereguestscanquicklyandsafely
chargetheirsmartphones.(Italsooffers
spareiPadandiPhonechargersonloanto
guests.)
Should hotels offer
guests in-room iPads,
iPods, or desktop
computers?
Where will you
focus most of
your technology
purchasing next year?
Yes,theycanbeusedtosell
hotelservicestoguests.
Guestrooms
It’sanicetouchbutnot
essential.
Lobby
No,gueststravelwiththeir
owntechnology.
FrontDesk
No,theywouldneedtobe
replacedwithnewmodels
toooften.
Meetingandeventspace
13% 51%
22% 12%
54% 23%
11% 14%
5 6

4. Free Wi-Fi
The Office Away
From the Office
How much are you willing to
pay for Wi-Fi?
Wouldahotel’stechnology
offeringsmakeadifferencein
whetheryoustayedthere?
Trend
#5
Trend
#6
Fewerhotelsarechargingfor
Wi-Fiusetoappealtoyounger
travelers.
Hotelsarecreatingsecond-space
officesforbusinesstravelersand
workersintheirowncity.
Consumersexpectfreeaccesstohigh-speedInternet.
ApollofSmartBriefreadersbacksthisup.Whenaskedhow
muchtheywouldbewillingtopayforWi-Fi,85percentsaid
thatitshouldbefree.Today’shotelguestswantquick,easy
accesstoonlineresources.
The366-roomPod39HotelinManhattan—sonamed
foritssmallishroomsandlowerpricepoint—wasdesigned
toappealtoyoungertravelers.GeneralManagerScottYo
saidhisguestsdonotwanttofeelnickel-and-dimedby
Wi-Ficharges.Theytravelwithmultipledevices,andfree
wirelessaccessdoesn’tfeellikeaperksomuchasaright.
“Inourmind’seyeweareveryconsciousofwhocomesand
stayshere,”Yosaid.“Mostofourguestsaremillennialsand
verytechsavvy.Rightnowyou’vegottohavefreeWi-Fi.
Wespentatonofmoneyhavingfiberopticcablebecause
wewantedtohavereliableWi-Fi.”
KimptonHotelsalsoofferfreeWi-Fiaccess,butonly
tomembersofitsloyaltyprogram.Thereisnocharge
toenroll,soguestshaveanincentivetosignup,and
Kimptongainsnewmarketingtargets.AndazFifthAvenue
alsooffersfreeWi-Fi.“It’sacalltoactiononthepartof
customers,”Overstreetsaid.
Marriott’snewWorkspaceonDemandprogram
allowsbusinesstravelerstobookmeetingspacelikea
hotelroom.Thehotelchain,workingwithshared-office
companyLiquidSpace,offerstheservicesforfull-and-half
daysatMarriott,RenaissanceandCourtyardhotels.
Forslightlylargergroups,the“WorkspringatMarriott”
conceptoffersanewtypeofmeetingspacecomplete
withaudiovisualequipmentandWi-Fiincludedintherate.
Nowbeingtestedin5,000-square-feetofmeetingspace
inaRedmond,Wash.,property,theconceptfeatures
fivemeetingroomsandasharedsocialspacewithmore
naturallight,newcolorschemesandresidential-style
furnituredesignedtoimproveproductivity.“Corporations
haveblendedthenotionofmeetingandsocial,”saidPeggy
FangRoe,vicepresidentofglobaloperationsservices
atMarriottInternational.“It’saboutconnectingand
networking.”
No.Technologyisnot
importanttome.
$15
No.Ibringmyown
technology.
$15ormorefor
premiumservice
Yes.it’sessential
$10
It’simportantbutnot
adecidingfactor.
Nothing;
itshouldbefree
<1%
3%
4%
9%
87%
46%
30%
21%
7 8

5. Social Media
Event Spaces Go High-Tech
Technology
as Luxury
Trend
#7
Trend
#9
Trend
#8
Hotelsmusthavea
presenceonnewforms
ofsocialmedia.
Techtoolsformeetingplannersarebecoming
moresophisticated,withappstotakecareof
commonissuesduringmeetingandultrahigh-
techboardroomsandvideoconferencingsuites.
Sometechnologieshave
becomealuxuryperk.
Whilehotelswerequicktojumponto
FacebookandTwitter,once-nichesites
suchasPinterestandInstagram—andsoon
Twitter’ssocialvideosharingappVine—are
growingandusedbymoreguests,especially
youngerguests.Thesemorevisualmediums
provideimportantmarketingvehicles,and
somehotelshavealreadystartedtaking
advantageofthem.
WhentheWNewYork-TimesSquare
debuteditsnewExtremeWOWsuite
thisspring,itheldabloggerpartyinthe
penthousespaceandcreatedahashtag.
Becausethehigh-conceptsuitehas
plentyofvisualeyecandy—alightfixture
resemblingaflattenedNewYear’sEve
mirrorball,customwallpaperofBroadway
ticketstubs,agraffitimuralfromBrooklyn
artists—thebloggersquicklytookto
Instagramandsharedphotosofthesuite
usingthehashtag#extremewow.Thehotel,
whichismarketingthesuiteforprivate
events,gotinstantexposure.
Marriott’snewRedCoatDirectmobileappconnects
meetingplannerswithhotelstaffaseventsarehappening
toaddressanyneedsthatarise,fromadjustingtheroom
temperaturetoorderingmorecoffee.Theappisadigital
versionofMarriott’s50-year-oldRedcoatmeetings
conciergeserviceandtracksresponsetimeandother
metricssohotelscanadapttobetterservemeeting
attendees.TheservicedebutedattheAtlantaMarriott
Marquisin2012,andisplannedforasystem-widerollout,
Roesaid.
Anothertechsolutionhotelsareofferingmeeting
plannerscomesfromLaCostaResortandSpainSanDiego.
Theresort’snewLaCostaCoastalEventsCenterincludes
meetingplannersuites,live-workspaceswithelectronic
whiteboardsandotherfocusedtechperks.Forvirtual
meetings,StarwoodoffersCiscoTelePresenceSuiteat
severalpropertiesincludingtheSheratonTimesSquareand
WChicagoCityCenter.Offeredatanhourlyrate,thesuites
offerhigh-definitionconferencingfacilitieswherein-person
participantsappeartobesittingaroundthesametableas
off-siteparticipantsandsoundsensorscuecamerastoshow
speakers,allowinga“face-to-face”meeting.
High-endhotelsarefindingthattechnologycanbecome
aluxurycomfort.Oneincreasinglypopularperkishigh-
definitiontelevisionsembeddedinbathroommirrors.
CompaniessuchasElectricMirrorprovideshigh-definition
televisionsinmirrorsinsizesrangingfrom15inchesto55
inchesathotelsincludingMandarinOriental,CityCenterLas
Vegas;theRitz-Carlton,LosAngelesatLALive;andtheFour
SeasonsLondon,ParkLane.
AtHardRockHotels,thehotelstayson-brandbyoffering
guestsacuratedsetlistofmusicdownloads.TheSoundofYour
StayprogramenlistscelebritiesandDjstocreate15-trackthemed
playliststhatguestscandownloadusingacodetheyreceiveat
check-in.Complementingthedigitalamenity,HardRockalso
letsguestscheckoutFenderguitar,FenderampandNixon
headphonestouseduringtheirstay.In-roomtelevisionsoffer
guitarlessonsfrommusicpublishingcompanyHalLeonard.
Does your hotel
have its own app?
Yes, and guests are
using it to interact
with the hotel.
Yes, but it’s not that
popular.
No, we rely on our
brand’s app.
No. but we are
developing one.
24%
19%
30%
27%
9 10

6. Print Goes
By the Wayside
Conclusion
Trend
#10
Digitalsignageisreplacing
printedsigns.
CourtyardbyMarriott’sGoBoardsetthestandard
forbrandeddigitalsignage.ThelargeLCDtouch-screen
inthelobbyinvitesgueststointeractwithitforproperty
informationandconcierge-likeservices.FourWinds
Interactiveprovidedthescreensandworkswithhotels
onotherdigitalsignagesolutionsfordirectionalsignage,
meetingandconferencesignageandrestaurantmenus.
Havingdigitalsignsallowshotelstoquicklyupdate
informationaswellasinstilltechnologyintoyetanother
aspectoftheirhotels,providingaunifiedhigh-tech
appearancethatmeetsorexceedsguestsexpectations.
“Today,guestsarelookingtoscreens,whetheradigital
sign,interactivekiosk,guestroomTVoramobiledevice,to
gettheinformationthatisimportanttothem.Withguests
becomingmoreandmoretech-savvy,anintegratedvisual
communicationssolutionthatcanprovideon-demand
informationisbecomingamust-haveforanytypeof
hotelproperty,”saidDavidLevin,presidentofFourWinds
Interactive.“Hospitalityorganizationscontinuetoadopt
visualcommunicationssolutionstoincreasevisualimpact
andguestengagementthroughouttheirspaces.From
purecontent-focusedsolutions,likedigitalart,tomore
interactiveapplications,likepropertymapping,hotelsare
blendingfunctionwithstyletoincreasetheoverallguest
experience,”Levinsaid.
Hoteltechnologynolongerissimplyaperk,it’sa
necessityforhotelguests.Guestsareexpectingmorefrom
theirtravel,fromfreeWi-Fitotheabilitytocheckinusing
anautomatedkiosk,andhotelsthatcanembracethenew
technologytrendswillhavealeguponthecompetition.
Inaddition,hotelsthatcanoffermoreinthewayof
sophisticatedtechnologyformeetingandeventsspaces
aremeetingthedemandforaseparate,butgrowing,lineof
business.
Byofferingintuitivetechnologythathelpsguests
accessdigitalcontent,usetheirowndevicesandwork
efficientlyontheroad,forward-thinkinghotelsare
meetingrisingexpectationsandcreatingmemorable
experiencesforguests.
“Thisiswhattheguestexpects.It’s
nolongerwhatthehotelwantsusto
supplyasadifferentiator,it’swhatthe
guestexpectstoseewhentheyarein
yourhotel.”
-DavidAdelson,CEO,Intelity
AboutSmartBrief
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AboutTheWallStreetJournal
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com.Itoffersafullspectrumofdailynewscovering
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video.Torequestfurtherinformation,clickhere.
Is guest-facing technology
a priority for your hotel?
23%
18%
26%
33%
We are tech-forward and consider
this area a priority.
We know we need to catch up,
and this will be a purchasing priority.
It is not a priority
for our hotel.
We are competitive but not a leader
in offering new tech features.
11 12