The hospitality industry is currently experiencing a tremendous amount of change and for the most part, it is being driven by technology. Locating improvements that give guests a better night for their dollar – or simply matching the expectations defined by new technology – becomes a much simpler proposition for hotels. From the index of effective admittance of artificial intelligence aided platforms, mobile check-in, and energy efficient indexes, technology continues to transform hotel conducts of businesses by opening up avenues for increased efficiencies, revenue generation and delivery of guest satisfaction. This section discusses particular ways through which technology is enhancing the functioning of hotels and creating new solutions.

1. Artificial Intelligence for Guest Services

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is swiftly transforming communications and operations of hotels with their guests and within respectively. With the use of artificial intelligence in guest services platform it becomes easy for the hotel to provide personalized services, manage activities and interface with guests.

• AI Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: AI chatbots and virtual assistants work with guests’ questions at any time, answer to requests immediately and take care of services. Virtual interactivity accessible through guests’ devices allows the guests to order a room service, book added facilities or order housekeeping instead of waiting to be connected to the staff which will improve the guests’ satisfaction levels.
• Predictive Analytics: AI leverages the information collected from guests to identify the hotel services that suits the users’ need and comes up with the best settings for the room, best recommendations and the most appropriate promotional strategies, thus enhancing the guests’ experience.

Through facilitating quick responses to questions most clients maybe asking, bookings and housekeeping schedule assignment among other solutions, AI eases operational burdens on employees while at the same time enhancing service delivery standards.

2. Mobile Check In and Digital Room Keys

Mobile technology has taken its toll on the hospitality industry and especially on the guest – hotel relationship by changing the way guests check in to hotels. Mobile check-in and digital room keys are now being considered as standard offerings as more hotels offer guests the ability to never even see the front desk after they arrive.

• Contactless Experience: Mobile check-in gives guests an opportunity to check-in and do much more without having to interact with any person- thus more convenient, faster and safest in the post covid-19 era where contactless is preferred.
• Digital Room Keys: This makes use of smart phone technology in stealer to replace the normal key cards used when opening doors of the guests’ rooms. Of course, this saves hotels’ money and also provides better comfort and usefulness to their guests.

Not only does the further adoption of mobile technology to check-in expedites the process, but it also lessens the front line load and optimizes human capital.

3. Smart Rooms and Internet of Things

Another example of the appropriation of technology as the driver of change is the application of the IoT to hotel rooms. IoT-dependent smart rooms enable the guests to modify the aspects such as lighting, temperature, actors, and curtains using mobile and voice.

• Personalized Comfort: Smart room also allows guest to control different attributes of a room depending on the preferences of the guest leading to comfortable stay.
• Energy Efficiency: Smart appliances and sensors can detect occupancy and the energy use of rooms, and automate the climate control to save energy for hotel corporations.

While making the customer feel like they are in their own space allows for an excellent experience, it also has the added benefit of reducing energy usage in the hotel.

4. Web-Based Property Management Systems (PMS)

On premise systems have been the traditional systems used in operations however cloud based Property Management Systems (PMS) are evolving. These systems are a kind of integrated system that brings together all the hotel activities such as room bookings, housekeeping department, guests’ details, billing, and reporting thus making it easy for hotel to coordinate their activities.

• Real-Time Access: One of the advantages associated with implementing cloud-based PMS is that it provides access to information relating to bookings, available rooms, or guests’ preferences to all members of a given organization and it does this from any location hence enhancing the co-ordination processes across departments.
• Scalability: They are also easily scalable, meaning hotels small, midsize, and large chains all benefit from the same improvement in operational efficiency. These systems can be easily integrated and scalable as the current and future state of the hotel business grows, without investments in expensive infrastructure.

Cloud technology also help to make opaque to have operational reliability without concerns for data loss through hardware malfunction or system crash.

5. Data-Driven Revenue Management

Ultimately, it will be easy to define Data-Driven Revenue Management as the optimum way of using data to maximize organizational revenues.

This paper will discuss how big data and artificial intelligence are currently used in the hospitality industry with focus on the hotel industry. Revenue management applied in software analyzes the data of the market, demand for services, and the parameters of competitors in real-time and determines the per-night rate that will allow achieving maximum occupancy and revenue.

• Dynamic Pricing: Many hotels can set the room rates in real-time depending on various factors such as peak and off seasons, demand and other activity within the region, and be assured of always making more sales.
• Forecasting and Demand Management: In digitalised form, these data can be used in revenue management systems that can predict booking tendencies and set more precise marketing strategies, manage resources, and target guests.

Using data analytics hoteliers can make better decisions on pricing, distribution and marketing mix with the objective of improving their profitability and at the same time protecting competitive advantage.

Conclusion: Future of hotel operations

This paper explores how technology is redefining the traditional norms of operating a hotel through changing its guest relationships and internal business processes. Hence, through the use of innovation solutions such as AI analytics and voice-based platform, mobile check-ins, smart rooms, data-driven revenue management, hotels act as effective solutions to meeting guests’ expectations and providing adequate services, cutting costs and being relevant in an ever-competitive digital marketplace.

Items in the future of the hotel operations will go on being enhanced by technology, which holds a lot of opportunities for hotels to grow, improve business aspects, and satisfy the guests. Those hotel corporations that adopt these technologies will not only boost their revenues but also transform the hospitality industry standard of service delivery.

Discover more of iNPLASS, that can help you explore innovative solutions.

In iNPLASS, we are proud to offer innovative solutions implemented to help hotels become consumers of digital change and improve performance. Call us right now to find out more about our unique solutions that can enhance your hotel guest experience and boost your innovation.