One of the most important technological trends within the hotel industry today is the rise of smart hotel technology. This technology can benefit both hotel owners and guests alike, potentially improving financial results as well as the customer experience itself. In this article, you will learn more about a smart hotel, why technology is becoming so important, and the various plus points.

Table of Contents:

What Is a Smart Hotel?

Essentially, a smart hotel is a hotel that uses internet-connected devices capable of communicating or interacting with one another. This is sometimes referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT) and means that even ordinary devices or appliances can send or receive data, making them ‘smart.’

The ability of these devices to communicate with one another can allow users to control multiple devices from a single control point, such as a remote control, smartphone, tablet, or smart speaker. Moreover, devices can often find and use information from the internet, allowing them to respond intelligently to user requests.

According to the Smart Hospitality Global Market Report by The Business Research Company, the global smart hospitality market size is projected to grow at a CAGR of 26.8% until 2027.

Why Every Hotel Should Become a Smart Hotel

Hilton, Marriott, and other major hotel brands have been quick to adopt smart room technology. However, everyone in hotel management should prioritize turning their hotel into a smart hotel because it can significantly improve the customer experience, make life easier for staff, and save owners money.

Using a smart room, guests can control the various components and get their room exactly how they like it. They also find it both faster and easier to obtain important information. Meanwhile, as you will find out in the next section, creating a smart hotel can also reduce operational costs.

5 Ways Smart Hotels Benefit Hotel Owners and Guests

Below, find the five ways smart hotels benefit hotels and hospitality businesses and improve processes.

1. More Sustainable Hotel Rooms

One of the biggest advantages of a smart hotel room, from the perspective of a hotel owner, is the improved sustainability available. This is primarily linked to energy-saving possibilities within the rooms, which the Internet of Things automation can aid.

For instance, light bulbs can be set up to automatically increase or decrease in power based on the room’s light level at the time. Similarly, heating can be configured to automatically maintain a certain temperature, with radiators cutting out once that temperature is achieved. All of this leads to lower energy bills.

2. Improved Levels of Personalisation

A smart hotel also offers excellent opportunities to deliver personalization. For example, TVs can be remotely set up to refer to guests by their name, while guests can use a central control point to set conditions within the room. Through IoT technology, the various devices can then automatically create those conditions.

Additionally, smart TVs and speakers can allow guests to access their own accounts on services like Netflix and Spotify. In fact, the Alexa for Hospitality service aims to introduce a feature soon where guests can sign in with their Amazon account and access their own audiobooks and music files.

Table: How Smart Hotel Rooms Improve Personalization

Aspect Description Impact on Personalization
Guest Preferences Tracking Smart hotel rooms utilize sensors and data analytics to track guest preferences such as room temperature, lighting, and entertainment choices. Enables hotels to anticipate guest needs and tailor their experiences accordingly, such as adjusting room settings to match preferences upon check-in.
AI-Powered Virtual Assistants AI-powered virtual assistants integrated into smart rooms interact with guests to provide personalized recommendations, services, and assistance throughout their stay. Offers personalized recommendations based on guest preferences, such as suggesting nearby attractions or restaurants, enhancing the overall guest experience.
Customized In-Room Experiences Smart room technology allows guests to customize their in-room experiences by adjusting lighting, streaming content, or requesting specific amenities via voice commands or mobile apps. It allows guests to personalize their stay according to their preferences, creating a more comfortable and enjoyable environment.
Personalized Communication Channels Smart rooms enable personalized communication channels between guests and hotel staff, allowing guests to make requests, provide feedback, or seek assistance through convenient digital platforms. Facilitates direct and instant communication between guests and hotel staff, ensuring prompt responses to guest needs and preferences, leading to higher levels of satisfaction and loyalty.

3. Easier Access to Information

Another significant benefit of smart hotel technology is gaining customers’ access to information. With devices like Amazon Alexa speakers, this could mean a guest using their voice to ask a question and then receiving an intelligent answer. However, devices can also be connected to other hotel services.

For instance, a customer may be able to use a smart hub to access information about restaurant availability. This can be connected to the hotel restaurant’s booking system, providing live data. Some within the hotel industry have taken this a step further, connecting wall maps to the internet, allowing guests to find information and reviews for local bars, restaurants, and tourist attractions.

4. Data-Driven Decision Making

It is essential that the hotel industry manages smart hotel systems, especially when it comes to protecting customer privacy. That said, as long as hotels are transparent and adhere to data protection legislation, some customer information obtained from smart hotel solutions can be useful.

While it will be necessary to securely delete customer voice commands and other data from devices like Amazon Echo, certain information can be collected, including basic user data. This can allow hotels to find out the most popular TV channels or radio stations, allowing for data-driven decisions on what to set as default options.

5. Pre-emptive Maintenance and Repairs

Finally, customers and hotel owners can benefit from a smart hotel’s ability to provide pre-emptive maintenance and repairs. In simple terms, this can be achieved because the IoT allows hotel staff to see performance information and operational data for specific devices in real time.

This enables hotel staff to spot problems quickly, or even before they happen, allowing repairs to be made earlier. As a result, fewer guests will encounter disruption, early repairs may allow hotel owners to save money on replacement devices, and much less money will be lost because of rooms being out of service.

Smart Hotel - Pre-emptive Maintenance and Repairs

Ways to Transform Your Hotel Into a Smart Hotel

In the article “Ways to Transform Your Hotel Into a Smart Hotel” you will discover ways to transform your standard hotel room offering into a cutting-edge smart room.

Video: Example of a smart hotel

Video: Smart Hotel – Las Vegas Hotels Go High Tech

Smart Energy Use for Hotels

Implementing smart hotel technology is just one way to reduce energy consumption. You can cut your hotel’s electricity and fuel bills in many other ways while still delivering a better guest experience. Saving energy doesn’t mean downgrading your services or sacrificing your guests’ comfort. Many energy-saving measures will make your hotel more comfortable and appealing.

In “Hotel Energy Solution: Save Money and The Planet,” you will learn about the many ways you can make your hotel leaner, greener, and more attractive to your customers. Discover ways to slash your energy bills and even become an energy-positive hotel.

Smart Hotel FAQs

Smart rooms are hotel rooms equipped with advanced technology that allows guests to control features like lighting, temperature, and entertainment systems through their mobile devices or voice commands, enhancing comfort and convenience.

Smart hotels are revolutionizing the hospitality industry by using technology like AI, IoT, and automation to improve guest experiences, increase operational efficiency, offer personalized services, and reduce energy costs through intelligent room controls and data analytics.

AI is used in hotels to personalize guest experiences, improve operational efficiency, and analyze data. This includes chatbots for customer service, smart room customization, predictive maintenance, and tailored recommendations for guests based on their preferences and past behavior.

An example of a smart hotel is the Henn-na Hotel in Japan, known for its use of robots for check-in and room service, facial recognition for room access, and IoT devices to control room environments.

A smart room typically contains IoT-enabled devices that allow control over lighting, temperature, and entertainment systems, voice-activated assistants, automated curtains, and sometimes energy-efficient features like occupancy sensors that adjust settings when the room is unoccupied.

The smart hotel concept has emerged precisely because it benefits both hotel owners and guests. In particular, it can save hotel owners money on energy and maintenance costs while providing guests with an improved customer experience and a far greater degree of personalization.

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This article is written by:

Martijn Barten

Hi, I am Martijn Barten, founder of Revfine.com. With 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, I specialize in optimizing revenue by combining revenue management with marketing strategies. I have successfully developed, implemented, and managed revenue management and marketing strategies for individual properties and multi-property portfolios.