Choosing in-room technology
What technology do your guests look for when they arrive in their hotel room? What do they need? What would they like? And what could they do without?
Apart from the actual sleeping part, what guests do in hotel rooms has changed a lot over the years. Leisure guests expect to be entertained and business guests expect to be able to conduct business.
Both these elements are led almost entirely by the technology that the hotelier chooses to include in the room.
It's up to you to choose the right amount of useful technology in your rooms; what are the essential things, what are the things that will add perceived value to the stay, and what are the things that sound great but no one will use?
One statistic to consider is this: in a survey by Hotel Online, 65% of hotel guests said they would choose one hotel over another if it offered superior in-room technology.
What do guests want from a hotel room?
Everything a guest wants from their room has a technology implication:
Entertainment:
· The very least a guest would expect is a good-quality television with a wide selection of free channels, including standard satellite or cable channels such as CNN or Sky News.
· In addition they probably be looking to the TV for pay-per-view facilities such as films, games or even music. It would also be their prime source of information on the hotel's facilities or the nearby attractions (a ‘concierge' function).
· They may also look to the TV as a way of browsing the Internet.
· Guests may also want a good stereo system to play their own CDs.
· A minibar is also pretty standard these days.
Working:
· The vast majority of business travellers are looking for some sort of Internet access in their room, plugging their own laptop into a telephone socket or high-speed connection.
· They'll also expect a phone with more than one line, especially if they have to use one to connect to the Internet.
· Other less obvious requirements will include good lighting, access to a printer and a fax, and plenty of space.
Security and comfort:
· Guests need to know their belongings are safe and secure in their room, so electronic door locks are standard, as are in-room safes that can be programmed with each guests own combination.
· Guests also want comfort, so good lighting, constant comfortable temperature and soundproofing may be more important than many other requirements.
Discussing high-speed access is a good place to start considering what technology guests want and it's a hotly debated topic. Most agree that you need it; the question is, do you need it now?
Business guests will need to get onto the Internet while they're at your hotel. Most of them, though, need that access to check their e-mails, so it doesn't really need to be high speed unless they're downloading large documents.
Even if you're just checking e-mails, high-speed access is noticeably more pleasant to use. From a technical point of view, it also means the user isn't blocking up the phone system.
The day-to-day problem with high speed access is that most hotels are only seeing a 4-5% take-up by guests. The main reason is the perceived value of paying a flat rate of, for example, £10 a night for 20 minutes of e-mailing. Hotels that offer the service free see about 20% of guests taking it up.
In other words, you need to decide what you want to get out of it as the hotelier. Do you want to make direct revenue from it? Or will you give free access and hope that attracts more guests and, probably, more room service.
The hardware, such as the wiring, associated with installing high-speed access is very expensive, though, easily involving five-figure sums.
See the article on high-speed access for more information on this.
What about accessing the Internet through the TV?
While business guests have specific work they need to complete using the Internet, leisure guests have different requirements. They probably just need to access Web-based e-mail such as Hotmail, or find out simple information on local attractions or restaurants, the latest weather forecasts, specific news, transport timetables etc.
This sort of information is very general and just needs a quick check so, as most leisure guests either won't be carrying laptops or won't be bothered to go through the hassle of plugging in and dialling up, access through the TV is the best option for them.
Its main drawbacks are the speed (often very slow) and formatting the display so you can actually see a full Web page on the screen. The problems of whether you charge your guests for access are the same as with the high speed facility. Do you want to earn money directly from it, or use it as added value to attract more guests.
What if a guest wants to print something out?
At the moment, access to a printer is seen as a luxury, but that is rapidly changing. However, it's obviously a very expensive proposal to put a £200 printer in every room. You do still need to provide some kind of printing option in the hotel, often in the business centre. As soon as guests have to use their laptop to fax a document to themselves just so they can get a hard copy, they may be thinking twice about coming back to that hotel.
One option is to have a few rooms with printers in them and give the guest an option to choose those rooms if they book far enough in advance.
What kind of phone should I have in the room?
Advice on buying a phone system is covered here, but there are a few things to consider. In business hotels especially, a multi-line phone should be standard in every room. But, less obviously, make sure it's got a long cord on it so it can be moved across the room. Better still, have more than one phone, or perhaps a cordless handset.
What pay-per-view services should I offer?
About 12-15% of hotel guests will watch a pay-per-view film every night, but that figure is slowly rising as technology is allowing more choice and versatility.
Films can now be stored digitally, which means that guests can choose their films to watch when they want, rather than fitting their viewing around the broadcasting schedule. It also means that guests can pause, rewind or fast-forward in the same way as a domestic video.
You can also offer quick half-hour episodes of top TV shows at any time.
The pay-per-view principle is a highly lucrative one if the guest chooses to use it. The question is whether the higher cost of installation will be balanced by a higher take-up by guests. If you put in all the new equipment and the number of users doesn't change, it's been a wasted exercise. It's up to you to assess your own guest profile and decide on the best course of action.
What kind of minibar do I need?
There's no easy answer to this question, unfortunately. The standard fridge that relies on the honesty of your guests to tell you what they've had is risky. If they don't tell you and you only find out when you go to restock it, you're out of pocket.
There are minibars that automatically detect items that have been removed and charges them directly to the guest's bill. These are obviously much more efficient from the hotel's point of view, but guests tend to be wary of being charged for items they remove and then change their mind and put back. In other words, the more expensive minibar might be used less.
The compromise between these two is to have a door switch that will, at the very least, tell you if the minibar has been opened. This means you know to ask the guest if they've had anything on check-out. This will also speed up the daily restocking procedure as, obviously, if you know the minibar hasn't been opened there's no need to check if it needs restocking.
Any final thoughts?
Gadgets can be pretty fascinating things, and the temptation to spends loads of money on the top of the range kit can be hard to resist. You need to decide what is the right thing for you and your guests. What do they want? Will they actually use it? Most importantly, remember that the simplest things are often the most useful. For instance, if a lot business travellers use your hotel then, you should have a selection of power leads and chargers for the most common laptops and mobile phones.
