Hospitality is an area that changes rapidly, usually undergoing several changes in a very short period of time. Because of this, hoteliers and everyone working on the hospitality industry has to be on their toes all the time, failure to which their competition is likely to take their business. Now, in order to stay ahead of the rest of the pack, everyone has to keep looking ahead. It is because of this that people in the hospitality industry are often looking for trends that they can follow to stay competitive. In today’s world, it is fair to say that technology is the biggest disruptor in most industries. This is especially true where redundant tasks can be replaced with tech, such as in the hospitality industry. Because of this, one of the biggest hospitality trends 2018 is the increased use of technology in various avenues. One of the most pronounced of these areas is interaction with potential and existing customers.
Use Of Bots And Smart Everything
It is likely that you have heard about bots, small programs run on Artificial intelligence. Bots are now doing most of the repetitive online tasks that would have otherwise been handled by humans. These include tasks such as answering questions, greeting potential customers on websites, providing useful information and even going as far as setting appointments for potential clients. Because of the usefulness and potential applications of bots, it is almost impossible to now organize an event, such as the food world’s biggest night of the year , without some of their input. Another huge trend in the hospitality business is the use of smart things; smart houses and rooms if you may. Almost every hotel that wants to stay in tandem with the present and future is adding some sort of smartness into their rooms. It is now common-place to see voice-activated rooms, controlled by some sort of smart device. In the near future, it is likely that we are going to see items such as thermometers, blinds & curtains, lighting, thermostats and even electronics controlled only by the sound of our voices.
Let Your Phone Do All The Work
As phones get smarter, so too do their uses and applications in the hospitality industry increase. it is now possible to find a hotel right from your phone, book a room and even check in using the same phone. People have been paying for airline tickets using their phones from years now and we expect to see such applications improve and increase as we move further into 2018. Predictive services are also getting better where you can kick off your shoes and let your phone suggest a hotel room, or even a flight, based on your budget and other data it collects from you. Scaling such applications in the hospitality industry is likely to grow exponentially in 2018 and beyond. Lastly, mobile payments. A lot of places are ditching traditional methods of payments, such as cash, cheques and credit cards, for the convenience of mobile phones. It is likely that you will see more places accept mobile forms of payment going forward.
