Guest Internet: Break the Trend, Sell Guest Internet

Summary

This article talks about the cost to keep up with maintaining the network, faster speeds and increased bandwidth usage for the guests.  Hotels for the most part offer free internet service, they did so at the beginning of the internet because the cost was low.  Now that the cost is much higher it might be necessary for hotels to charge for internet usage to cover the increasing cost of the network.  Many guests are addicted to having internet and the internet must be fast. The hotel industry owners and managers are torn between whether they should charge for internet or not charge for internet.  The article offers a tier option for hotel guests.  If you want the increased speed then you will need to pay for the service.  The slower connections are either free or for a small fee.  The faster connections are will cost slightly higher.  Almost all hotel owners and managers thought that once they put in a network that was it.  They did not realize there would be constant upgrade costs for software and hardware.  The more bandwidth and speed that is required to make the guest happy, the more the cost to upgrade the network.

Reflection

When I read the first part of the article I did not agree with the thought of charging for internet service.  Free internet access is a selling point for hotels.  I personally would not stay at a hotel it if did not offer wireless whether it was free or you had to purchase the service for a minimal amount.  Then as I read farther into the article I began to understand the point of view of the author.  Charging for the internet might be a good not only for the customer but also for the hotel.  Many hotels now a days charge for parking, then there are some hotels that also offer you valet service which would be on the same lines as the tier system that the author is talking about.  I definitely would be one of the guests that would pay for internet access but if the hotel is going to charge for it, it better be fast without any downtime or connection loss.  I can also see guests getting very upset if the hotel does charge for the service but instead of using the revenue to keep the network running smooth and fast but instead use it for something else the guest will complain. 

Warner, T. (2011, March 31). Guest Internet: Break the Trend, Sell Guest Internet. Retrieved April 15, 2011, from Hospitality Upgrade: http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/magazine_Detail-ID-585-Guest-Internet:-Break-the-Trend,-Sell-Guest-Internet.asp

Into the Mindset of the Guest

Summary

Caesars Entertainment Corporation has decided to let the customers help to make the decision of their technology during the creation of the technology, not after it is launched.  Caesars also brings the technology team into the research lab as the customers are testing the technology.  This helps the implementation of new technology that is useful.  Too many times technology is introduced that the clients/customers do not even use, whether it is hard to find or is not user friendly. As the testers are testing the technology the IT developers are there making changes and tweeking their product that the customers are giving feedback right on the spot.  This helps to reduce the product development time because the changes are done immediately where the customer can give additional feedback.  One case in particular was a reservation system Caesars was developing for their online reservation booking system.  Caesars found what they thought would be a hit was actually a total flop.  They redesigned the reservation system on the spot while the customers were testing and giving very important feedback.  Caesars feels that watching the reaction of customers is very important.  It is hard to get feedback from the customer after the technology has been developed and implemented and it is less costly.

Reflection

I was excited to read this article.  Too many times management and IT developers implement or introduce a product to the public or the employees that is meaningless and actually more cumbersome to work with.  If the managers and the IT developers would have asked the opinions of the customers or the employees in the first place and to actually take their advise the products out there would be more useful.  You can have all the focus groups and studies you want but if management and the IT developers do not take the advise of the customer and the employee that have to work with the products those focus groups and surveys are useless.  I feel the way Caesars conducts the their research by having their IT development team in the research room watching the expressions and listening to the comments of the testers and making the changes immediately is one of the smartest decisions management has made.  I also feel that many businesses would save millions of dollars if they took the same approach as Caesars does when implementing new technology.  Ask the workers who have to work at the reservation system, have them help develop it.

Lorden, A. A. (2011, April 8). Into the Mind of the Guest. Retrieved April 10, 2011, from Hospitality Technology: http://hospitalitytechnology.edgl.com/top-stories/Into-the-Mind-of-the-Guest72035

The Customer in Control; The New Engagement Technology

Social media has taken over the way the hospitality industry does business.  There is more information coming out of the web, onto your smart phones than can be processed.  In order for the hospitality to keep up with the trends of today they have to hire someone that monitors Facebook, Twitter and other social networks.  Smaller hospitality industries cannot afford to hire someone to maintain the daily activity of those sites. In order to reach the hospitality industries target market they must post to social media. This article gives a few resources for the smaller hotels, restaurants and such to keep up with the fast pace social technology. There is a company that will develop a mobile phone app for just $49.99 with a monthly maintenance fee of $4.99.  Most people search the web on their phone, but if your phone is not mobile friendly you will not be found.  There is a free website that smaller hospitality industry owners can go to and check to see if their site is mobile friendly.  There are a few other tools out there that will post messages for you across several social medias.  There is also sites that check to see when the social networks have mentioned the hotel/restaurant name so you can respond with feedback. The small hospitality owner is not left out and these items will help them stay up with technology.

Verret, C. (2010, Spring). The Customer in Control. Retrieved 3 13, 2011, from Hospitality Upgrade: http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_files/File_Articles/HUSpr10_Verret_TheCustomerinControl.pdf

COMING SOON to a Phone (or tablet) Near You

Summary

Why the growth of smart phones is so appealing to the hospitality industry.  Technology of wireless touch screens have been around for years but now everybody wants them.  This article talks about the three main reasons why these devises are taking off in the hospitality industry.  The number one reason is the highly appealing devices that the majority of people want to have with them at all times. These devices are both visually appealing and very easy to operate.  The second reason which is just as important is the software applications that the devices have. The software can exchange information with each other.  You now have the ability to accomplish several items in one handy device instead of having multiple devices.  These devices come with GPS capabilities out on the road, phones, cameras, etc. The other necessity to have all these capabilities on one device is the large amount of gigabytes these devices can hold and the bandwidth capabilities. These devices also have 3G capabilities which makes the devices fast enough to be useable. The applications that are available seem to be targeting travelers and to young adults which is why the hospitality industry is jumping on the bandwagon.

Reflection

I was skeptical of the devices at first coming from the baby boomer era.  I decided to purchase an iPad, 64G with 3G capabilities.  I absolutely love what I can do with it.  I have several apps geared toward the hospitality industry.  Right now I am just testing them but I would have never purchased an iPad but it is very friendly to use and I can use it anywhere.  Some of the apps that I have which are related to the hospitality industry is: TripAdvisor, OpenTable and HotelPal.  HotelPal lets you see all the hotels in the area, the cost of the room and the features of each hotel.  You can make a reservation right from the app.  OpenTable allows you to see when tables are open at a restaurant and make a reservation without ever having to pick up your phone or find one in the area.  TripAdvisor allows you to find hotels, restaurants, flights and things to do in the area all in one handy app. People spent hundreds of dollars for GPS systems and now you can get the google GPS system for free.  The iPad is big enough where I can see it without my glasses on.  Now that I have an iPad I am now thinking of giving up my old cell phone to purchase a smart phone.

Inge, J. (2010, Fall). COMING SOON to a Phone (or Tablet) Near You. Retrieved March 6, 2011, from Hospitality Upgrade: http://hospitalityupgrade.imirus.com/Mpowered/book/vhu10/i3/p12

Will Guest Room Locks Ever Get Smart?

Summary

Only 17% of the hospitality industry feel that upgrading the locks on the rooms are extremely important.  Right now only VIP rooms use RFID technology to open their doors.  Most hotels are very happy with the technology that they presently have which is the magnetic strip card.  The cost of the cards are low and the maintenance is also low.  The downside to the magnetic strip cards would be the inconvenience to the guest if their magnetic strip becomes erased because it is kept to close to a cell phone.  The guest would have to come down to check in to have their card re-swiped.  Most hotels feel that RFID technology is just around the corner.  Most hotels ranked wireless technology very high on their priority list, this would help to move towards RFID with wireless technology already in place.  The cost would not be as excessive then.  Moving to RFID technology the guest could receive a text with their room number on the day of arrival eliminating having to check in at the front desk altogether.  RFID would also help to reduce other expenses associated with room rental such as heating and cooling cost.  RFID is available right now in European countries and hopefully this type of technology will also be seen in the US.

Reflection

I am not sure if or when RFID will take off in the US throughout all of the hotel industry mainly due to the cost involved.  If the magnetic strip is working and the cost to operate and maintain the magnetic strips are inexpensive only the major hotels will be able to change to RFID hotel locks.  It is already expensive for the smaller hotels to keep up with the technology that the higher end hotels have let alone try and match newer more costly technology.  I don’t think it will make a difference to the middle class traveler if they have to check in at the front desk to obtain their magnetic strip card to enter their room.  On the other hand for the constant traveler I see where they would like this feature.  When the airlines first started with check in thru the website instead of at lines I think the ones that really liked this feature was the business traveler.  My boss wouldn’t know how to check in any other way now.  With guest room locks being only 17% of importance at this time I do not feel the change will be made to the average hotel. 

Mastroberte, T. (2011, 2 14). Will Guestroom Locks Ever Get Smart? Retrieved 2 27, 2011, from Hospitality Technology: http://hospitalitytechnology.edgl.com/top-stories/Will-Guestroom-Locks-Ever-Get-Smart-67078

iPads replacing restaurant menus, staff

Summary.

A new restaurant chain is opening in California.  The restaurant is called “Stacked: Food Well Built” and will feature an iPad at each table to replace a menu and a wait person.  Just as the name implies, the customer will choose not just a hamburger but the bun and the fixings that will go on the burger.  This is done by the customer touching the iPad to order the type of bun they would like and then the fixings. This will not be the first restaurant that offers ordering technology, restaurants at  New York’s JFK and LaGuardia’s airport also have iPads at their tables. The restaurant chain is targeting young adults from the age of 18 to 34 year olds.  The restaurant chains will be in high traffic malls next to movie theaters to attract where this age brackets likes to congregate.  The owners feel that this is the wave of the new restaurant and every restaurant needs to beef up and get on the technology band wagon bringing menus to be obsolete in the future. The iPad ordering system was in the making far before the iPad came out.  The owners do not want the restaurant to be known as the iPad restaurant but as a unique restaurant where the creativity is left up to the customer.

Response

I do not agree with the owner of the restaurant chain “Stacked: Food Well Built”.  I do not believe technology such as the iPad will not be in every restaurant in the future.  At least not in the near future.  Technology will take the ambiance and romance out of the high class restaurants.  The target customer is the younger generation.  I believe that adults over 35 have an average guest check larger than the target audience.  I also believe that older adults frequent more expensive restaurants than that of the target customers that “Stacked: Food Well Built” will be serving.  I myself do not want to walk into a restaurant and have to fiddle with an iPad and make all the decisions that a menu makes for you.  If the customer makes a mistake and the order comes to the table will the customer be held responsible for payment?  The use of iPads will eliminate a lot of jobs from the hospitality industry. There is a place for technology, I do not believe technology should replace the personalization of what a server has to offer.

Horovitz, B. (n.d.). iPads replacing restaurant menus, staff. Retrieved February 20, 2011, from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2011-02-16-ipadcafe16_ST_N.htm

Wireless Networks - A Customer Loyalty Dream Can Become a Security Nightmare

Summary

Tia D llori with Hospitality Upgrade magazine talks about the convenience of wireless for guests at hotels but also talks how wireless can be a "double edged sword" if high security measures are not looked at seriously by the hotel that offers wireless to it's guest.  Guests seek out hotels with free wireless access which gives the guest the freedom to order room service, speed through their check in and check out process and other amenities that wireless has to offer.  This could present problems for hotels who need to protect their brand and not compromise their guest security.  At the risk of offering these types of services the hotel must also stay within the laws of what they can keep on file and what they cannot.  Keep a cvvs2 on record is illegal but yet in order to offer some of the wireless conveniences credit card companies sometimes call for the cvvs2.  Tia talks about internet thieves and how the thieves are also posting instructions on the internet on how to accomplish internet theft.  Some common wireless thefts are eavesdropping, rogue access, denial of service and man-in-the-middle.  Many hotels are now implementing wireless strategy and how to secure it.

Reflection

I am a big supporter of offering wireless to the guest.  When I travel I will only stay at hotels that offer free wireless service in my room.  I usually travel on business which means when I am finished with business outside of the hotel, when I return I will also be working on business at the hotel.  Without my computer to access my office files and emails I am dead in the water, almost feel out of touch with reality.  The business travelers main source of communication with the office is their laptop.  When a business traveler is on a road trip, they do not want to stand in line at the front desk to check in.  They want to obtain their key and head to the room.  The same with car rental, many business travelers use the express check in.  Instead of standing in line at the airport for a rental car they go straight to the kiosk where the cars are parked and pick up their keys and head to their car.  Everything about you is stored in their information data bases including payment.  With today's technology everything is about "how fast" can we get the customer thru a check in/check out.  As a business traveler we expect the companies to make sure that while they offer the ease and speed of service they need to make sure that our personal information is also safe and secure.  We do not hope it is, we expect it to be. 

llori, T. D. (2010, 10 1). Wireless Networks - A Customer Loyalty Dream Can Become a Security Nightmare. Retrieved 1 30, 2011, from Hospitality Upgrade Magazine: http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/magazine_Detail-ID-549-Wireless-Networks---A-Customer-Loyalty-Dream-Can-Become-a-Security-Nightmare.asp