Spooktacular Hospitality Technology Trends Of 2021

Preparations are in full swings for the annual gala - the hotel manager is checking every detail, from the fold of the table napkins to the inches between the saucers, housekeeping is ensuring everything looks spick and span and of course, the trials for the perfect cake are a must. Wait, does that shine a light down the memory lane? For us, it's a flashback from the 2014 hit The Grand Budapest Hotel!

Although the movie is quite old, it aptly highlights the Hospitality industry's painstaking efforts to ensure absolute comfort and luxury for everyone. 

Over the years, Hospitality tech has evolved by leaps and bounds – app-based bookings, central wireless connectivity, digital lights, locks and payments, you name it and the industry is already making use of it. Yet, what's beyond exciting is the future of Hospitality Technology.

If you're in the Hospitality industry, you need to know what's coming soon–and that's what we're here for. Tap into these transformational Hospitality Technology Trends for 2021 to stay on top of your game. Even if you're not–you better read this to know whether the hotel you book for your next trip, or your next expensive dinner date is worth your dime!

Serving hot trends in 3...2...1...Just start reading already!

Trend 1: "Contactless" Hospitality To Become The Norm

 
One word that we have probably heard more often than 'pandemic' in the past year is 'contactless'. From contactless payments to contactless shopping–every industry has leveraged technology to offer a safer customer experience. The Hospitality industry is no exception.

Stealing a thing or two from the web-check-ins on airports – more segments of the Hospitality industry today offer online check-ins through wireless solutions to not only reduce physical interaction between guests but also to liberate desk staff from manned systems, allowing them to be mobile and reach places where they can help guests in need. Contactless technology will also reduce exposure to congested areas and allow guests to distance themselves from others and feel more secure. No more crowding at bar counters!

In 2021, contactless facilities in Hospitality would not only become more commonplace but also evolve to allow us to communicate with cyber-physical systems in a new and more natural way through voice, gestures and glances. Imagine just nodding your head to choose the pizza topping you want on your next Cheese Burst!

In fact, a report suggest that the market for gesture recognition and touchless recognition is expected to double-up by 2025. Guess we now know who’s to be credited for a big share of those.

TechDogs' Opinion: Beyond contactless check-ins where smartphone become digital keys, customers would also be able to relish services like in-room lighting, temperature control, television and music operation, as well as room service in a touchless manner.  In-room menus are expected to be replaced with contactless kiosks that will display menus and take orders without the need to speak to a human. Yes, dear introverts, the future is here!

Trend 2: Artificial Intelligence To Enhance Customer Experience And Hotel Brand Value

Monsieur Gustave H understands that the Hospitality industry needs sizeable human capital. What Monsieur might not know is that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to change this tradition. While it was earlier only speculation, it is becoming evident that AI will cut down manual work to an almost negligible proportion in the Hospitality industry as the technology matures in the coming years. The Big Data explosion has enabled the hotel industry to create guest profiles and use AI and Machine Learning-for customer behavior anticipation, service personalization and targeting. Self-service, customized ice-cream parlors, breweries and fast-food joints have already taken significant load off the human labor–and that’s just the beginning.

According to predictions, more companies in the sector will jump into the use of AI to improve customer loyalty and increase brand value to stay ahead of the game.

AI will offer the personalized experience that the Hospitality industry needs to deliver, now more than ever. ModiHost CEO, Stephan Radwitz says, "It is hugely important for hotels, chains, management companies, etcetera to take advantage and implement new technologies like AI, because more hotels are going to be fighting for a piece of a smaller pie, at least for a while".

TechDogs' Opinion: The hospitalitiy industry of the future will be a connected platform that will constantly acquire contextualized processes and analyze customer data to derive predictive analysis. AI will enable real-time data exchange to provide smart insights in a cost-effective way. Hotels and restaurants of the future could have robots serving you personalized meals or Chatbots answering your queries and managing your bookings. Leading players will use AI to focus on brand management by cutting down on human errors. Well, who wouldn't want an AI assistant like Baymax the next time they stay at a hotel!
 

Trend 3: Data Science & Analytics To Improve Efficiency And Sales

In both, the hotel and the restaurant industry, humungous volume of data about customers is generated every day and with more devices and technology added to the loop, the depth of such data is further increasing.

We could use that, right? Data Science is expected to empower hotel and restaurant staff to extend pre-selected options and amenities to customers based on the preferences they have used when consuming content across the internet. Imagine Jake Peralta entering a hotel and getting Orangina as the welcome drink! Or better still Joey entering a restaurant and getting a menu with just sandwiches, pizzas and sodas! Advanced analytics will help managers, owners and leading Hospitality conglomerates derive insights to create a distinct advantage and personalized experience that every customer looks for. Customized menus, hand-picked suggestions and push advertising intermixed with gamification ideas will allow businesses to tap into more sales and build customer loyalty.

According to an article by McKinsey Digital, "Data analytics can help Hospitality organizations upsell conveniently. Linking predictive analytics with geolocation data can do wonders for selling recommended products in real-time. This is much more than coupons and promotion".
 
TechDogs' Opinion: Predictive analysis, combined Big Data and Machine Learning, will empower the Hospitality industry to attract and retain more customers. Going ahead, we can expect increased use of video recognition and Natural Language Processing  to identify, serve and recommend products and experiences that customers are more likely to choose. Imagine being super-hungry and ordering pizza without having to spend a second on customizing it with your favorite toppings and sauces - Domino's knows!
 

Trend 4: Robot Servers Will Be Everywhere

For a brief moment,  imagine yourself in the 2016 sci-fi romance film, "Passengers". Can you see the humanoid bartender having conversations with the passenger(s) on the spaceship while serving them their favorite drinks? If predictions are to be believed, that could soon become the new reality in the Hospitality sector . Although several leading hotel chains in Japan and a few other nations are already using robotic staff, the adoption of the tech is set to grow exponentially going ahead.

Everything from cleaning services at hotels to food preparation at fast-food restaurants would be assisted by robots further promoting contactless service in the Hospitality industry. In fact, Grand View Research predicts that the U.S. service robots market is expected to progress by a CAGR of more than 20% in the coming years, with commercial and residential use of the tech being the focus. #RobotsAreComing

TechDogs' Opinion: As robotics technology improves, you could see humanoids bringing you food or taking orders at hotels and restaurants. In-room cleaning could transform with the introduction of robotic assistants who would make the bed and dust-and-wipe with high efficiency – let's hope they make a model for houses too! Furthermore, you could see a brigade of robot butlers delivering toiletries, snacks and other amenities to your guests. Robots are also expected to be placed at critical locations to answer your questions related to directions to the spa, swimming pool, or other facilities located in the hotel. Similarly, in restaurants–especially quick service chains, they could very well operate several kitchen stations (and maybe all!). Who knows, we could have a robot-only McDonalds with humanoids preparing your happy meals!
 

Trend 5: Mobile Tech To Present New Avenues

How many apps do you have on your phone right now? Whatever be the number, be ready to add one more to the count. The Hospitality industry is ready to go mobile. Not just for bookings and check-ins, mobile technology is all set to experience a new wave of innovations in the Hospitality sector.

AI-powered mobile virtual assistants , Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) would revolutionize booking related decision-making, mobile wallets and QR codes to manage payments,  and self-service through mobile lounges. Everything from reserving a dinner table to getting a spa appointment would be integrated into the app–nurturing and enhancing your entire experience.

It would also take a lot of manual burden off the Hospitality staff. With real-time content management systems built within the mobile application, guests and customers can be updated with information in real-time without having to call them up every now and then. New events, menu updates and even wake-up calls can be driven by automated mobile notifications.

Sharing the relevance and value of personalized experiences and mobile technology Criton's CEO, Dwayne Pascal explains” We must also go beyond this and give guests the information they want when they want it and wherever they are.  Optimizing those micro-moments through personalization and up-to-date information will build trust and help hotels provide additional benefit to guests and also add revenue".

TechDogs' Opinion: Mobile technology would definitely take care of every bit of your experience while you’re at the hotel or a restaurant. Going ahead–it would also take care of your experience even before you choose the facility. Mobile applications will bring prospects closer to the Hospitality that they can expect if they choose to go for a service or brand. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technologies will let customers  take a virtual tour of the room and the facilities to catch a glimpse of the experience before making the booking. They would be able to get real –time view of the experience they’re signing up for and not just through professionally shot pictures. Now that's what we call- impressive!

Summing It Up

"Indeed, that's what we provide in our own modest, humble, insignificant...” Both you and Gustave know that’s not true. The Hospitality industry is all about the extravaganza, the luxury and the comfort it can provide to the customer. Let’s face it–there’s nothing modest or insignificant about it. In fact, as travel resumes and people are finally free to cherish the lavishness of the Hospitality industry, it would be one of the significant economic engines for most nations.

Mobile applications, contactless technologies, along with AI, robots and data science will together make sure that every experience in the Hospitality industry counts–adding to every guest’s delight and the industry’s revenue.