In order to meet the ever growing demands of today’s travellers, technology in abundance is what makes a hotel function in modern times, writes MIKE VAN LIER, Director of Enterprise Business Division at Samsung Electronics South Africa.
From the moment a guest checks into a hotel until the time they leave, they encounter technology on various levels. Some are plainly obvious, such as screens and PCs installed at the reception desk, but there are also the not-so-obvious technology that makes guests’ stay more pleasurable, but they are unaware of it.
Nowadays every guest expects Wi-Fi when booking into a hotel. It has become an accepted standard and something that can’t do without. However, what might not be so clear is that once guests enter the hotel’s Wi-Fi environment, their mobile phone can be converted into a seamless extension of the hotel’s internal switchboard or PABX. This renders hostel guests’ communication fast and efficient. Apart from being a useful and time-saving service to guests, this system offers the hotel management and staff benefits as well. Likewise, in the background the hotel employees are able to communicate with each other via their mobile phones, without the exorbitant costs of cellphone call fees. This can amount to huge cost savings for the hotel, considering the number of calls between staff on a daily basis. Samsung’s Fixed Mobile Convergence, PABX and Wi-Fi solutions afford hotels and the hospitality industry this functionality.
Large format display screens are becoming much more prevalent in hotels and restaurants globally. These displays offer the perfect solution to present a myriad of information, such as conferences which might be taking place at a hotel or the foreign currency rates of exchange. All of these displays care controlled from a central point within the hotel that allows for comfortable and effective content management.
In addition, some hotels that have adopted Samsung’s Large Format Displays have used these to function as digital wall paper that can be changed to reflect any mood, season or event taking place in their lobbies, such as the Metropolitan hotel in Las Vegas.
The TV is another discreet technology that can be found within hotel rooms. Once guests enter their bedroom they expect a television set. Samsung’s unique range of Hotel TVs not only allow guests to watch normal programming and movies, but also to wirelessly connect their IOS and Android smart devices to play back their own music and videos on the TV ― known as BYOD (bring your own device). Through this solution guests are given more freedom and control over what content they want to consume and when they wish to consume it. In addition the hotel TVs can display the hotel’s entire directory of services that can easily be navigated by guests using the remote control. The traditional Guest Service Booklet in the hotel room can now be trashed and recycled in favour of a more current, eco-friendly and effective Samsung hotel TV solution.
Comfort is important within the hospitality industry and air-conditioning is most often overlooked in this instance. Air-conditioning consume huge amounts of energy leading to increased costs for a hotel. Samsung’s air-conditioning system however, provides an excellent energy efficient way of heating or cooling. Room air-conditioning settings as well as settings for public spaces in the hotel can be changed from a central point, either from within the hotel or from another location off-site.
Hotels are notoriously high paper usage environments with masses of staff carrying clip boards with endless check lists and reports. The large paper consumption should be a concern, as consumers are becoming more eco-friendly and actively seeking service providers who share the same belief. System printing solutions aimed at decreasing paper wastage and reducing printing costs is therefore a good investment. Samsung’s cloud and Tap & Print technology, using near field communications (NFC) not only benefits employees and the hotel, but also allows guests to securely print their documents at the hotel’s business center.
The hotel business has definitely expanded from its earlier sole provision of accommodation. There is now much more to consider in running such an enterprise effectively. Technology, visible or hidden, can play a big role in making the venture a success.
