Hotels Gear Up for Tech-Savvy Guests

Despite the lingering economic turndown, hotels are investing in technology to ensure that tech-loving travelers are as content in the hotel room as they are in their fully-equipped homes.

Or perhaps a bit happier, given that hoteliers are offering access to new devices like the iPad, IP TV, and a slew of smartphone apps that enable guests to check in and order room service from their phone.

For some hotel chains, though, the fundamentals come first. For instance, most guests assume that wireless Internet access is a basic service, yet robust, reliable connectivity remains a serious challenge in the hospitality industry.

"One of the things we are refocusing on is reliable, quality high-speed connectivity," said Bryson Koehler, senior vice president of revenue and guest technology for the InterContinental Hotels Group, which includes Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza, among other brands. "We need the right infrastructure to support guest demands for bandwidth-intensive activities like videoconferencing, watching online video, and Skype calls."

To achieve that goal, Intercontinental is installing 45Mbps DS3 lines in some hotels and combining (or "bonding") two cable modems to boost bandwidth in others, he said.

More Than Just Wi-Fi Access
Marriott is taking a holistic approach to better networks with an initiative called ClearSkyNet. The tactic comprises a consolidated information network that will deliver faster Internet access and enable new technologies like in-room IP TV. The Seattle Pioneer Square Courtyard by Marriott will be the first property outfitted with the new infrastructure when it opens in mid June; Marriott says that eight others will soon follow.

"We are looking at our networks very differently than in the past," said Page Petry, Marriott's senior vice president of information resources. "Rather than having multiple networks that support all technologies, [the Seattle] hotel has a converged network that supports all components: TV, back-of-the-house systems, guest high-speed Internet access."

The ClearSkyNet infrastructure will enable hotels to adjust bandwidth to meet shifting needs. For instance, if participants in a technology conference in the meeting areas consume an inordinate amount of bandwidth, the hotel will be able to increase capacity to the meeting while ensuring that other systems, like IP TV, maintain have adequate bandwidth. Most hotels, Petry said, will employ a DS3 45Mbps external connection to the Net.

Marriott's IP TV service will launch in mid-June at the Seattle Courtyard by Marriott with 65 channels, 50 of which will be in high definition, Petry said. The service will offer a scrollable electronic guide, much like in-home cable services. That means no more aimless shuffling through channels to find the station you want.

Access Your Home DVR on the Road
InterContinental Hotels is taking TV in a different, albeit familiar, direction. Koehler said that his group is gearing up to test in-room network-based DVRs that can access content stored on the guest's home DVR.

"We are in talks with Verizon and AT&T to extend the DVR," he said. "The downside is that the companies have somewhat restricted markets, but they are both available in most large cities and that's where we're headed. We'll have a pilot in an Atlanta hotel this year."

Some hotel companies are extending new technology to the guestroom door. InterContinental, for instance, is conducting a trial with a company called OpenWays that will enable guests to unlock their doors with their smartphones. Aloft Hotels, a brand of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, is rolling out a Smart Check In feature that enables guests to bypass check in and open the guestroom door with a personal RFID keycard.

New technologies aren't limited to rooms, however. Many hotels realize that they can make a bigger splash with innovations in lobbies and other public areas.

InterContinental Hotels has installed Microsoft Surface tabletop computers in concierge lounges of three InterContinental brand hotels. "It's a richer, more interactive experience," Koehler said. "A lot of people have seen Surface in movies and TV shows, but they haven't seen it in real life. It's a cool factor."

Marriott has hung 57-inch interactive touchscreen TVs in about 150 properties (and will achieve 300 installations by year's end) that provide a portal for information like attractions, airport information, weather, and maps. The devices, known as GoBoards, also enable guests to print info and take it with them.

More public guest technology also makes sense for Holiday Inns because "our average customer is social and doesn't want to stay in the room," said Koehler. The company is experimenting with interactive touchscreens that will serve as an information portal as well as public telepresence, he said.

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, on the other hand, is going with tried-and-true technologies for its lobbies. The company has installed a lobby lounge it calls Link@Sheraton in more than 360 hotels. The Link@Sheraton provides free Wi-Fi for those who bring their own portable devices, as well as Internet-connected desktops and printers for guests to e-mail, browse the Web, and print boarding passes.

The iPad Fad Hits Hotels
Some hotels are going straight for the buzz. And nothing is buzzier than the iPad. At least a dozen properties in the United States have equipped concierges with iPads to help guests plan sightseeing, dining, and driving routes.

Some, like the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, have placed an iPad in the cocktail lounge for Web browsing (you can also order a drink or summon a waiter). Others offer more hands-on time with this year's "It" device: The Westin New York at Times Square, for instance, has an iPad in its Atrium Club Lounge for guests.

iPhone apps may not be new but they remain a sensation. Hotels have developed apps that enable guests to reserve rooms, check in, and even order room service. Most hotels have targeted iPhone users, although they are starting to add apps for BlackBerrys and, to a lesser degree, Android phones.

Hilton Hotels was first to launch an iPhone app and today has apps for all its brands, said Chuck Sullivan, senior vice president, global online services, for Hilton Hotels.

The hotelier is seeing user growth of 200 percent each month (compared with the year before), Sullivan said. "The iPhone, the growth of 3G networks, and the launch of other phones like the Droid has caused a fundamental shift in the way information is consumed in our space," he said.

Hilton's apps are unique in that they enable users to reserve rooms across all its brands; it also lets users manage their HHonors frequent-guest account from a smartphone. What's more, Gold and Diamond HHonors members can check in using the app, although they still have to stop at the desk to pick up a room key. One Hilton brand, Homewood Suites, enables guests to select their room from the app.

Perhaps the most satisfying option is the ability to order room service. "If you are coming in from the airport late at night and want to have a burger ready upon arrival, you can order it from the app in the taxi," Sullivan said. "You also can order a down pillow, as well as check out of the hotel at the end of your stay."

InterContinental also has seen great gains from its smartphone apps. "We have hit $1 million a month in bookings," Koehler said. "We have had a 600 percent increase in booking since the beginning of the year. It's growing fast, and the curve is straight up."

Location, Location, Location
Some individual hotels are embracing this year's breakout tech trend: location-based services like Foursquare. For instance, the Las Vegas Hilton targets hungry Foursquare users with a two-for-one buffet, while the Doubletree Hotel San Jose offers half price off on second drinks. Hotel Murano in Tacoma promises a free cup of coffee in the morning and a $20 gift card that can be used toward a future stay.

In a way, new hotel technologies are all about location—hotel companies say they are adding initiatives that enable guests to work and play as they do at home. "We are investing in these technologies even in the economic downturn, because we realize that this is how people live today," InterContinental's Koehler said.

And in some cases, the hotels aim to provide a glimpse of innovations as yet unseen. "Back in the day, you would go to a hotel to experience new things like color TV or air conditioning," said Koehler. "A lot of people saw their first color TV at a Holiday Inn."

Today's traveler might experience IP TV or an iPad for the first time. Tomorrow's guests might seamlessly access their home iTunes library from the room's theater system. Stay tuned.

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