The Latest Technology Trends in the Hospitality Industry

Everything from streamlining hotel operations to improving the guest experience depends increasingly on technology. If you want to succeed in this competitive profession, you must keep up with the most recent trends in hotels and be aware of the newest technological developments.

The hotel business will experience a lot of excitement in 2023, just like it did in 2022. And in this article, we’ve gathered some of the top hotel technology advancements designed to bolster operations, increase bookings, and enhance the guest experience.

List Of The Latest Technology Trends in the Hospitality Industry

Innovations that make businesses function more efficiently, enhance working conditions for employees, and personalize hotel stays for visitors are referred to as “hospitality technology.” The most crucial justification for hospitality organizations implementing new technology is to meet consumer needs and provide the best experience for visitors.

For businesses to compete with those who use the most recent scientific advancements, keeping up with technological advances in the hotel industry is crucial. Even smaller hotels can implement easy adjustments to outperform establishments that don’t use cutting-edge technology.

NETWORK-FREE PAYMENT SYSTEMS

Even after extensive immunizations, many people are reluctant to reserve a hotel stay due to COVID worries. Statistics from customer surveys show that accepting contactless payments is the most important step the hospitality sector can take to increase guests’ comfort levels. More hotels accepting cryptocurrencies as payment could be a result of contemporary payment methods.

MOBILE CHECK-IN

The use of mobile check-in has several benefits for both hotels and their visitors. The availability of mobile check-in via the hotel app does away with the requirement to maintain a large welcome desk. Hotels can provide room for luggage storage, common areas, and branded merchandise counters, freeing up staff employees to handle other tasks.

With mobile check-in, visitors won’t have to wait in line at the front desk, which can be essential for business travelers and families with young children.

Mobile check-in is necessary to reduce face-to-face contact given that Covid is a possible permanent fixture in our lives.

CONCIERGE APPS WITH A BRAND

Hotel clients can easily plan their entire stay using concierge applications on their cell phones. Along with recommending restaurants, attractions, and activities in the nearby region, concierge apps can integrate chatbots to make the guest experience more engaging and personalized.

In-room tablets that come packed with concierge apps and other useful information have taken the role of room service menus and brochures in some hotels. Tablets make client stays more convenient and provides hotel employees more time to treat each guest individually.

Consumer demand for keyless entry devices, including smartphone-activated doors and locks that use facial or fingerprint recognition technology, has increased as a result of the epidemic. Losing the room key is a typical occurrence, but it might soon be history. In addition, hotels won’t have to replace lost keys because guests won’t have to bother asking for the key at the front desk.

VOICE REGULATION

More people are utilizing voice search and voice control like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Android’s Bixby, and Google Assistant thanks to recent advancements in voice recognition technology.

When their lodgings are voice-controlled, guests can avoid frequently touched devices like light switches and thermostats. The visually impaired, those with arthritis, and other disabled visitors can all benefit from voice control. Additionally, guests can ask the voice assistant to draw a bath, start a movie stream, or pour a glass of wine after a long flight.

AREA FOR DIGITAL CONFERENCES AND TECHNOLOGY LOUNGES

With more businesses offering work-from-home possibilities, as well as with many employees beginning freelancing jobs and becoming digital nomads, the demand for tech lounges and other co-working spaces has significantly increased.

Hotels will also need to provide digitally equipped conference rooms for business purposes in order to compete in today’s tech-savvy market. The post-Zoom conference era won’t tolerate outdated AV technology.

ROBOTICS

One of the most intriguing technological developments in housekeeping is the employment of robotics. The epidemic has changed the notion of employing robotics from a revolutionary thought into a very useful one. Robots in hotels and restaurants can deliver contactless room services and clean rooms, lowering the possibility of Covid spreading.

SYSTEMS FOR AUTOMATED PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

Hardware and software that enables hotels to automate administrative duties must be included in updated Property Management Systems (PMS). Customers will be able to engage with numerous hotel brands owned by the same company using one app thanks to advanced PMS technology, which improves integration for hotels with many locations.

RADAR SCANNERS

One of the most revolutionary advances in housekeeping is likely to be infrared scanners. How often do you leave the “Do Not Disturb” sign hanging on the hotel room doorknob? Or perhaps you put up the sign, only to have housekeeping disregard it and enter at an inconvenient time?

With the use of infrared scanners, housekeeping will be able to return later to clean the room when there are no visitors present. By automatically turning off lighting and climate control when a room is empty, scanners can also assist hotels in saving energy.

AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITY

Virtual reality offers 360-degree footage of rooms and other hotel services to potential customers. Visitors can change their surroundings using augmented reality by, for example, turning a wall into a forest, a beach sunset, or even outer space. Adopting these technologies could play a key role in persuading prospective customers to choose your hotel over the competitors.

WEBSITE CHATBOTS

A must for any hospitality company nowadays is a website chatbot. Hotels can use chatbots to provide 24/7 customer service and can direct more complex inquiries to the next member of staff who is available. Customers receive quicker responses, and staff members can go back to the data from the initial chat. Even larger hotel companies are using artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor their social media channels and make their chatbots seem more realistic.

Conclusion

Hotels, motels, and other hospitality establishments used to occupy a very basic role in people’s lives: they served as places for visitors to rest their heads while traveling. However, everyone who has worked in the hospitality sector in recent years is aware that the significance of technology in hospitality organizations has significantly increased. The above article has mentioned some important points on how The Latest Technology Trends in the Hospitality Industry.

FAQs

Q1. How do website chatbots help in the hospitality industry?

Ans. Website chatbots help to provide customer service in the hospitality industry.

Q2. What are the latest technology trends in the hospitality industry?

Ans. All the latest technology trends in the hospitality industry are mentioned above.

Q3. What does the latest technology in the hospitality industry involve?

Ans. strengthening operations, boosting reservations, and improving the guest experience.

Q4. How do tablets help customers to stay in hotels?

Ans. Tablets make client stays more convenient and provides hotel employees more time to treat each guest individually.

Top 7 Most Expensive Hotels In The World

We all have a splurge-worthy dream that involves getting the best that the world has to offer without sparing any extravagances. And some of those destinations sound more enticing than others due to their premium, world-class hotels. If this doesn?t intrigue your wanderlust, how about checking out the details of the most expensive hotels in the world. We picked up these after scanning several web sources like Wealthy Gorilla, Highsnobiety, and Travel Top list each of which released their own list of top 20, top 15, and top 10 most expensive hotels in the world. We just picked the best seven for you:

7. Soneva Jani, Maldives

?Spectacular? is the only word that comes to mind when Soneva Jani is mentioned. There is nothing low-key or in-budget about this resort, even the entry-level villas are filled to be the brim with world-class features. While booking you can choose from its seven room categories which include a 4-bedroom villa with a waterslide and private wine cellar. If you want to get lost in the woods, there are villas in mangrove forests. Going alone, you can get the basic 2-bedroom villa that is sprawled across 4, 424 square feet with two floors. The stay in villa is an out-of-the-world experience itself but if your explorer side calls out to you there is plenty to seek around and in the resort. The latest price for a mid-tier suite as in January 2022 stood at $6, 130 per night. And if you want to extend the splurge limit there are several all-inclusive options available for all categories. It is not the most expensive but among the most luxurious hotels in the world.

6. The Royal Suite – Burj Al-Arab

A well-known member of the most expensive hotels community, Burj Al-Arab was one of the first seven-star hotels in the world. And when you visit the place it not only lives up to the expectations but exceeds all at some points. The shape of this building resembles a ship?s sail and it stands on an artificially constructed island that can only be accessed through a private bridge. Everything is top-notch including its underwater restaurants accessible through a submarine. The hotel has a private helipad approx. 210 metres above sea level. If you are looking for a royal experience, you can get the royal suite for @ 28, 000 per night. The suite sprawls across 780 square metres with two floors, 22-carat gold decorations, a private dining area, spa, private lounge, private butler, and a team of staff that stands ready at your beck and call. $ 28,000 doesn?t sound a lot for such a royal experience, does it??

5. The Plaza, New York City

If you are a fan of American cinema, then you may have heard the mention of Plaza every then and now. Every girl who wishes for a lavish, modern-day princess style wedding wants to take her vows at the Plaza. If you are looking for extravagance then you may want to take a peek at its Royal Suite. It will cost you $40, 000 a night and you can reach it using a private lift exclusively accessible to its owner. Upon entering, you get into a grand living room fitted with state-of-the-art luxuries and amenities. Along with it, it has 3 bedrooms, a lounge, 3 bathrooms, an exclusive dining room that can accommodate 12 individuals, and a personal fitness room. Looking for a spectacular view of the New York skyline, just take a look out of the bedroom window and you will find the fifth avenue at level with your eyes. And if you are looking to just chill out all day in the room, the private butler service will take care of everything day and night for you.

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4. The Hilltop Villa

It is an affluent-only paradise located on the Laucala island in Fiji. A single night stay here costs $45, 000 which includes a four-acre villa distributed in three distinct villas. The first villa is named The Delana and it has a master bedroom, a library, a walk-in wardrobe, a private large-sized pool with a waterfall, a living room, a hot tub, and a solid wood soaking tub. ?The Dua? is the second villa with similar specs but can accommodate two and it has sliding doors separating the rooms. And ?The Rua? is the third one with a big private pool and a separate living room. It is a perfect getaway with family and friends.

3. Ty Warner Penthouse – Four Seasons

Another one from New York, this one is named after its owner. Its luxury suite will cost you $60, 000 per night which includes a spectacular 360-degree panoramic view of New York City from its four balconies. The suite includes one bedroom, a rock crystal master bathroom, a spa, a private elevator, a chauffeured Rolls Royce at disposal, a 24/7 dedicated guest manager, and a panorama infinity tub. And if you still need something more you can always enjoy the unlimited massages that the hotel offers during the stay.

2. Empathy Suite – The Palms

A Las Vegas special, this one breaks the 5-figure price tag for the most expensive hotels in the world. When you pick the $1, 00, 000 suite, you get massage tables, two master bedrooms, a salt relaxation room, a private tour of the art collection of the Palms, and a cantilevered jacuzzi. This hotel suite is a heaven for art connoisseurs as the place includes custom furniture and six Damian Hurst originals along with his motifs. So, all those who are die-heart fans of Damian Hurst with some extra cash, you can always get a treat for yourself.

1. Lover?s Deep – Luxury Submarine Hotel

This Luxury Submarine Hotel is currently the most expensive hotel in the world that costs $ 150, 000 for a night. It doesn?t offer the same experience as the rest of the hotels on this list as you will need to take a submarine ride to get to this hotel. But if you are okay going underwater, it is the hotel for you. It is a 5-star facility located in St Lucia and can be reached from around the Caribbean. A stay at this hotel will get you a private captain, chef, butler, to-and-fro submarine transfers, helicopter transfers, champagne-soaked breakfasts, beach landings, and everything you expect from a five-star hotel. You can customize your voyage as per your personal preferences and the captain will abide by your commands. The hotel offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience for anyone who believes in living every moment to its best.

What Is The Use Of ICT In Hotel Management?

Information technology in hospitality industry – Before discussing the role of information technology in hospitality industry, let?s first know what ICT stands for? The abbreviation ?ICT? stands for Information and Communication Technologies that represents a set of all communication technologies integrated with necessary enterprise software, computers, middleware, storage, and audiovisual devices. In this, one can easily store, access, understand, manipulate, and transmit information from one place to another place in digital form.

Now, let?s start discussing the impact of technology in the hospitality industry in brief, here in this blog post. Take your coffee mug and keep reading!

3 Reasons To Use ICT In Hospitality Industry

The Integration of ICT in the hotel industry is an essential for exploding the hotel business development, minimization of cost, revenue generation, and reaching the customers.

Information technology in hospitality industry can be seen as a strategic asset on which a whole hospitality ecosystem turns around and rapidly grows. From touchless check-in to a digital concierge, these wacky tech implementations are worth investing the money for a long marathon run.

Although upgraded high torch hotels and resorts are already in-trend for millennial travelers. There are also many other reasons to integrate ICT software in hotels. Out of which, have a look at the three main reasons stating the use of information technology in hospitality industry, mentioned below:

1. Leverage with Useful Insight

According to a study conducted with Phocuswright by Google, 60% of U.S. travellers do impulsive bookings in hotels that pursue higher ratings and good online reviews.

As hotel business is closely related to the travel industry. The impulsive traveller?s booking is an untapped market for the hospitality industry. Here comes the impact of technology in the hospitality industry, hoteliers and restaurant owners need to brainstorm.

The ICT AI-powered tools and machine learning software helps to retrieve traveller-intent insights such as his purchase, search history, location, and much more. Or in other words, these ICT tools facilitate an individual to gain the traveller?s tourism information technology in hospitality industry from anywhere at any time.

Using which one (in this case, obviously hotels) can improvise the mobile-focused search results for one?s hotel or restaurant and enhance the guest experience for better business. So it?s best to use ICT in the hospitality industry if you are still not using it. Think about it!

2. Ultimately Cut Cost

The second reason is ? that high-speed ICT software applications have become an undetachable part of the hospitality industry for business development that no one can deny.

Effective ICTs applications facilitate a variety of operations such as customer-management relations, supply chain management, etc. and amazingly, all these tasks one can manage under one roof. Now, what does it mean? It means that tasks such as hotel selection and booking, ordering, acquisition, tracking payment, and report, etc. are now undertaken by ICT.

So, it helps the hotel to run efficiently with limited staff. Now, hotels directly get connected to the guests offering personalized leisure and hospitality behavior. Likewise, ICT equipment ultimately helps hotel businesses to cut down the costs by enhancing the efficiency of staff, notably while doing online reservations.

3. Uplift Facilities

Till now, we have covered how the use of ICTs is a cost-effective move while managing the whole property. Now, understand why it is a masterstroke: successful hotels, restaurants, and resorts love to play. The trigger point is – after the Covid-19 pandemic, the change in guests? behaviour raised a demand for contactless, technology-driven revolutions. For example- contactless check-in/check-out, automated switch ON/OFF lights, ACs, fans, voice-search commands, automated blinds & window coverings, and equipment as much as it can be in the hospitality service. Furthermore, the use of a digital menu card while ordering, hassles-free QR code scan, and robot staff encourage a contactless, safe experience that every guest looks for.

In today?s date, guests start digging out on electronic media to search a sophisticated destination relying on high-tech ICT products and equipment, and the wireless internet connectivity with fast speed. I am sure only 1% of the readers will disagree with the last one stated. Isn?t it?

Conclusion

No doubt, the impact of technology in the hospitality industry is crucial. It offers a common platform for both, visiting guests and hotel management. Remember, the hotel?s website and app need to be updated and upgraded with the latest technological advancements. One of the common loopholes observed is most of the top management and staff are not trained to utilise the information technology at its maximum. Most of them are still using the old, traditional tools.

Are you ready to serve your guests an exceptional online ordering and payments option? We at Shoocal are renowned to deliver a seamless and fast-paced guest experience and AI-based tools for hotels, restaurants, and resorts. Don?t delay in taking the first step towards becoming an ICT powered hotel in your town, schedule a FREE demo today!

information technology in hospitality industry

Hotel Booking Tricks: 10 Tips To Get Cheap Hotel Rates

There are various categories of accommodations out there for travelers spread across a wide price range to suit every budget. Whether you are going camping, vacations, weekend trips, or simple getaways, you can choose your accommodation as per your preferences. But most importantly, it is about the comfort offered by a hotel room and lately, more and more people have been seeking it out.

Indeed, decent hotels aren?t always budget-friendly, but some cool hotel booking tricks can help bring high priced hotel rooms within the desired budget. In this blog, we bring you some of the most recommended tips to get cheap hotel rates and with some luck get some completely free of cost.

1. Make An Early Booking:

One of the most common tips for getting cheap hotel rooms is to make an early booking. Hotel prices vary weekly, therefore, you can cut the best deal if you are making early reservations. Also, it helps with the cancellation and refund process, early booking gives you ample time to cancel the reservation a few days before the reserved date and get a full refund. You can also re-check the prices as your trip comes closer and revise the booking at a lower rate.

2. Go For Prepaid Bookings:

Many hotels, especially those with large hotel chains, offer the best rates for prepaid bookings. It can take off as much as $100 from the asking price of per night stay. The only catch here is that you don?t change your plans once the booking is through. Because most of these schemes are non-refundable. But if it bothers you too much, you can always book using a credit card that includes travel insurance and trip protection to recoup payment in case of emergencies.

3. Break Up The Stay With More Than One Booking:

It may seem that a four-day four-night stay in one hotel may have the same price, but, the reality may differ at times. If that happens, you can always make multiple reservations linking the dates of your stay. Most likely the hotel will give you the same room and hand over a fresh key at the reception as you move from one reservation to another.

Another option is to narrow down to two or three hotels and see if breaking up the stay in two different hotels can bring down the total cost. If the first hotel has some event and doesn?t have occupancy for later dates, you can find another hotel with a matching or lesser price and shift there. Many travelers and bloggers use this tip to book cheap hotels.?

4. Join Hotel Rewards booking Program:

This tip comes in handy when you are a frequent traveler or in the business of tourism. Most premium hotels offer loyalty programs where guests earn some extra points for every booking. Every point equals to a certain amount that will go off whenever you use that point. Apart from reservations, there are several other ways to earn these points like using the hotel?s credit card, facilities, affiliate programs, shopping from business partners? portals, etc.

All major players including Radisson, Hilton, Marriott, and others offer special discounts for their members and even offer discounts for independent, small hotels that fall within their network. It doesn?t part what kind of trip you are planning you cannot afford to skip checking out various loyalty programs.?

5. Team Reservation With Airfare:

A number of booking portals offer special prices for reserving hotel stays with flight tickets. For example, you can enjoy a 3- night stay at a 4-star hotel in Melbourne if you book the return tickets from Sydney. The whole package can be availed under $300 per individual provided you choose twin-sharing.

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6. Pick Up New Hotels:

Every new business try hard to win new customers and initiate a lasting relationship with them. They do this by offering handsome discounts to first customers or offering higher loyalty points to those returning after their first stay. Just search for New Hotels in your destination on Google and you will find a list of new hospitality centers coming up in your destination. If you are not comfortable with a new brand, you can always look for newly acquired properties by major players like Hilton, Four Seasons or Marriott and you will find reasonable prices for first bookings in those properties.

7. Try Last Minute Bookings:

If you are an impulsive traveler or someone who often needs to travel with last-minute notices, you can leverage last minute booking deals on travel platforms. Several travel agents, portals, hotels, and airlines offer amazing deals for last-minute bookings. There are many portals like Lastminute, Trivago, Priceline, Hotwire, Orbitz and One Night that excel in offering last-minute deals on both flight tickets and hotel bookings.

8. Keep Monitoring Promotional Deals:

You can always subscribe to newsletters from your favorite hotel chains or properties to keep a check on what kind of promotional deals they have to offer. Most hotels like to keep their customers engaged and connected with their offerings, thus, they keep creating promotional deals and packages to get more bookings. So, make sure you check the promotional emails every once in a while to leverage the latest offers.

9. Amex Fine Hotels And Resorts Program:

American Express? Fine Hotels and Resorts program may help you save on room rates if you have the Centurion or Platinum-branded Amex card. If you are looking for a staycation at a luxurious hotel then booking with an Amex card can make a big difference. It also ensures a room upgrade as per availability, includes breakfast in bed, unique property based amenities, and so on. On average, it helps you get more value for the money spent.

10. Get In Touch With The Hotel Directly:

Lastly, if you have any personal favorites, you can always call the hotel directly and get yourself a reservation. Direct contact with hotel staff can sometimes result in better deals as the ground team is more aware of prices that aren?t advertised online. Normally, hotel rates rise in the event of conferences, concerts, or during holiday seasons. Getting in touch with the team directly can give you insight into their current rates and look for hotels that are far from the center of activity.

Top 6 Hotel Rewards Programs In 2023

Loyalty programs are tricky as they are designed to keep customers engaged and intrigued for the longest period. Therefore, it is neither easy nor simple to single out one from others. Most hotel reward programs are multi-faceted schemes hinged on various factors like the number of properties, milestone bonuses, points validity, rollover nights, free stays, etc. To simplify things, we evaluated the hotel reward programs of some of the most esteemed hotel groups in the USA and narrowed down the ones that promise the highest benefits, perks, and upgrades in 2022.?

1. Wyndham Rewards

Research like the WalletHub research declared Wyndham Rewards as the best hotel reward program. You can get a free night stay for a minimum of 7, 500 points where one point equates to 1.11 cents. The value of Wyndham rewards is the same on weekdays and weekends, so you don?t need to rush on weekdays to redeem the points. The transfer partners of this hotel group include United Airlines, Frontier Airlines, American Airlines, and ten others. You earn 10 points for every $1 you spend residing at a Wyndham property.?

Hotel Network: Over 9000 hotels across 90 nations and territories.

Pros

The rollover nights have no expiry
Best co-branded credit cards
Very diverse portfolio of hotel brands
Diamond and Gold members earn points just for bookings
Valuable reward points for free nights

Cons

Whatever points you earn, expire if the account is inactive for more than 18 months
The redeeming value of points is less than that of their purchase

2. Radisson Rewards

The highlighting features of Radisson rewards include bonus points for elite members, endless redemption options, and extra points on hiring affiliated car rental agencies. You can have a free night stay for a minimum of 9000 points where the value of one point equates to 0.48 cents on both weekdays and weekends. Radisson has more than 37 transfer partners which just increases the perks for international and distant travelers.

Radisson offers 20 reward points for every dollar spent. Additional deals can be availed at the official website of the hotel. You can join the hotel reward program even as a basic member. Most notable benefits include a 5% discount on beverages and food at all participating hotels, special rates of reservation, and two complimentary water bottles per stay.

Hotel Network: Over 1, 200 properties across 100 nations and territories.

Pros

Bonus points for elite-level members on bookings
Strong international presence
Great co-branded credit cards
No blackout or expiry on regular rooms

Cons

A Low value of points as compared to major global players
Points expire after 2 years of account inactivity
A high-status level can only be attained after spending many nights

3. World Of Hyatt

If you are looking for a luxurious hotel in major cities in Europe, Asia, Mexico, and the U.S., you need to check out World of Hyatt. Apart from world-class hospitality services, it has the best hotel rewards program spread across four categories: Globalist, Explorist, Discoverist, and Member. With Hyatt, you just need a minimum of 5000 points to get a free night stay. The value of each point equals 2 cents and the customer gets 5 points for every dollar spent. You can earn more points by using its pools, spas, transfer partners’ services, purchasing a Hyatt credit card, Island Approach, etc.

Hotel Network: The hotel owns more than 1000 properties spread across 60 nations and territories.

Pros

Highly useful points for booking free nights
No expiry on standard rooms
Multiple reward redemption alternatives
Discoverist and Globalists receive special points for booking

Cons

Single co-branded credit card
Very few locations covered in the United States and other countries as compared to other global players
Points expire after two years of account inactivity

5. Hilton Honors

Hilton Honors gets a place among top hotel reward programs for its huge global presence. The bonus points are endless for elite-level members along with very few limitations with earning points and multiple redemption alternatives. You can get a free night stay for a minimum of 5, 000 points where each point holds a value of 0.59 cents. You can earn 5-20 points for every dollar you spent at a Hilton property and additional points can be earned through Hilton credit cards, hiring Lyft rides, using exchange points, and using Hilton?s car rental partners.?

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Hotel Network: Hilton owns more than 6, 700 properties in more than 110 nations and territories across the world.

Pros

A diverse portfolio of hotel chains
Various valuable co-branded credit cards
Great benefits for elite-level members
Multiple transfer partners
Several redemption options

Cons ?

Points expire after 15 months of account inactivity
Earning points differ according to kind and size of Hilton property
Elite status is not available without a Hilton credit card

6. Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott Bonvoy is an intriguing hotel reward program with endless benefits for all categories of guests. You can spend a minimum of 4, 500 points for a free night stay where the value of one point equals 1 cent. For every dollar spent, Marriott offers 10 points and additional points can be earned by using Bonvoy flight, cruise, car rentals, shopping partners, creating Marriott Bonvoy moments, and so forth. The hotel reward program scheme has 42 transfer partners that usually offers 3 Marriott points for every airline mile.?

Hotel Network: Marriott has more than five thousand properties in the U.S.A. and over 2400 properties across 130 nations and territories.

Pros

Relatively beneficial points for booking free nights
Special rewards and discounts for elite-level members for bookings
A comprehensive portfolio of famous hotel chains
HIghly useful co-branded credit cards
No expiry for regular rooms

Cons

Reward points vary according to Marriott property
Points blackout after 2 years of account inactivity
Difficult to earn Elite status and not possible without a Marriott credit card
A very low value of points when redeemed against non-hotel travel accommodations and merchandise

Points to make best out of your rewards

It is not easy to navigate through hotel reward schemes. But there are a few points you can keep in mind to maximize your reward:

Compare to see which hotel reward program provides more points for every dollar spent.
Look for the best travel credit card as per your priorities. Here are our best picks:
- Point transfers, huge bonus and flexibility: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- To Get Best Perks On Luxuries: American Express?s Platinum Card
- Zero Annual Fees Cards: The Travel Rewards credit card from Bank of America
- High-end benefits along with bonus rewards: Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Best For Business Travel: Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

Find out what all it takes to achieve elite status, go for the one that offers better value for lesser nights.
Look into the ease of redemption,
It is best to stick with a single brand if you

10 Best Last Minute Hotel Booking Apps In 2023

There are endless reasons why travelers look for the best hotel booking app for hotels, especially for last-minute bookings. It may be a business trip extended due to work requirements or an urgent trip that needs to be arranged at the last moment. Almost all top hotel booking apps in the USA offer special deals on last-minute bookings, but there are so many apps offering so many deals that it is not easy to scan through all. This blog simplifies the task by summarizing the details of the best hotel reservation apps for urgent hotel bookings. So, here we go:

1. Priceline

Priceline owns the first place among best hotel reservation apps for its ability to provide the most reasonable deals to customers. All you need to do is download and install its app on your phone and enter your budget and the kind of hotel ratings you are comfortable with. The process begins with the selection of location, then star rating, and finally bid submission by the user. The app will let you know the trending median price according to your entered details and then you can make a bid based on that information.

The hotel name is revealed only when you enter your credit card details. If you are not comfortable with bidding, you can simply browse through the available list of hotels in your chosen location and reserve the room in the traditional manner. Apart from hotels, you can also book flights and car rentals using the app. Priceline works fine on all smartphone operating systems including Windows, iOS, and Android.

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2. One Night

A highly recommended name with respect to top hotel booking apps, it promises last-minute reservations at an unbeatable price. Apart from regular reservations, the app provides some juicy insider tips to improve the guest experience in the hotel and the city. It lets you know the best places to visit nearby, the best art galleries around the hotel, today?s specials at the restaurant and the bar, etc. The check-in time on One Night begins from 3 PM, so, it is easy to get the hotel bookings for the same day. It works well on both Android and iOS-based phones.

3. Orbitz

What sets this app apart from others is its comprehensive guest review segment. It is one of the best hotel booking apps for hotels as it helps travellers get a genuine insight on the hotel experience of couples, singles, families, friends, businessmen, official meetings, and so on. In case, you are worried about amenities, you can check out the reviews based on room comfort, cleanliness, hotel staff behaviour, overall vibe, value, and location of hotels.

The reviews can be viewed in both Spanish and English and classified according to hotel name, star rating, lowest price, proximity to airports, distances, etc. Also, the app has universal availability which includes Windows, Blackberry, IOS, and Android phones.

4. Hotwire

Hotwire is recommended as one of the best apps for booking rooms through a bidding system. Its business model is similar to that of Priceline which means you can get your hotels booked for the lowest price without knowing the name. However, unlike Priceline, here, you can find out the hotel name using a few tricks. So, the hotel name isn?t that anonymous and you can change the option as per your comfort level. The app works well on both Android and iOS phones.

5. Hotel Tonight

This app is famous among frequent travellers. So, if you are a travel vlogger or someone whose profession involves a lot of travelling, you need to install Hotel Tonight on your phone. The app is specially designed to support last-minute travel plans and help travellers with urgent hotel bookings. It is hailed among the best app to reserve hotels because of the most reasonable everyday deals from luxurious hotels.

Hotel Tonight is currently working in affiliation with fifteen thousand hotels located across 35 nations in Australia, North America, and Europe. The hotel bookings can be done up to 100 days in advance at some exceptional locations, but apart from that last moment bookings are available for best hotels in town. It can be installed on both iOS and Android devices.

6. Hotel Quickly

Just like Hotel Tonight, Hotel Quickly has a network of over twenty thousand hotels located all over the globe. It guarantees both last-minute bookings and the lowest prices to its customers. The app portal can be customized into 8 different languages along with 24/7 customer support. Additional discounts can be availed through referrals and invitation codes. It values its customers and places a special emphasis on long-term relationships with customers. Therefore, special discounts can be availed by customers using this app for more than one booking and those who purchase silver, gold, and a platinum membership. The app can be accessed through both iOS and Android devices.

7. Snaptravel

Snaptravel works in sync with various social media platforms and allows its users to leverage the extended reach of these platforms. In simple terms, Snaptravel provides deals to its users through WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and text messages. This unique approach has made it one of the best apps for booking rooms on an urgent basis.

8. Expedia

Expedia has a special segment called ?last-minute deals? where you can find the most reasonable discounts for urgent bookings. And if you are not satisfied, you can check out the regular features of the app to get the best deal. The app highlights last-minute savings on any booking in green over the displayed price.

9. Lastminute.com

It is a sister branch of Travelocity and as the name suggests, it excels in urgent bookings and discounts. Here you can avail up to 40 per cent discount on Top Secret Hotels that are booked under anonymity. The site is best recommended for European tours but can be used for reservations in other parts of the world as well.

10. JetSetter

The app offers expert advice and information on exclusive vacations deals. For a last-minute booking you can use its Jetsetter Now feature, it promises assured booking for up to 60 per cent discount. However, the services of this app are limited to seven major cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Chicago, Miami, New York, and Boston.

A Check-list Of 6 Future Hotel Technology Trends Roaring In 2023

Future Hotel Technology Trends – A million-dollar truth is the competition in the hospitality industry is fierce, and hoteliers need to proactively work on ever-changing technological advancements better than their competitors. Smart and sustainable hotels with robot staff, over-the-top VR and AR, and unique guest experiences have become an integral part of the industry. With that in mind,

Think about your USP. What unique technological experience you are offering to your guests?

Upgraded amenities, embedding with future technology in hospitality industry are touch-points luring the new guests. So what to do next? How to upgrade and provide top-notch accommodation services? Don?t stress though, this blog post will showcase to you the 6 latest future hotel technology trends that let you go ahead in this customer-focused sector with a bang. To thrive on the same page for the next 4 minutes.

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The 6 Hot Future Hotel Technology Trends In 2022

Being a hotelier, you must always be in a state of flux which hotel technology trend to follow, which do not. As there are hundreds of hospitality marketing articles available on the internet to make you confused. Relax, here is a compact checklist of the 6 hottest trends for hospitality technology to go for. So, enthuse your guest using these most-emerging trends in today?s date, stated below:

1. Head-On APIs

Start with APIs! Booking.com API, Google Hotels API, Tripadvisor API, Guesty, Expedia Connectivity API, etc. are some popular integration examples for hotels and accommodation owners. Apart from these, several other head-on APIs are available to connect guests to hotel management, booking, operations, price quotes and reservation terms, guest experience, review and rating, and property management. You can use them or can also customize specific enterprise APIs for your hotel business.

Leading a pack, aligning your business using multiple APIs is a bit of advice you can start with.

2. Embrace the SaaS Services

Secondly, focus on SaaS-based point of sale systems (POS), sales, property management system(PMS), marketing systems, and guest service platforms (guest engagement). These SaaS applications & services are best-tailored to install on-site equipment, handle maintenance, compliance, hardware, etc., with a lot of ease. As the cloud business is embracing day by day, Software-as-a-Service (Saas) model is being preferred by most of the successful hoteliers. Coz, it has been proven that the horizontal SaaS applications can leverage the hospitality landscape to bring down costs and also to drive up efficiency.

Remember, on-premise legacy systems in hotel IT departments are no longer live. So make sure you?re paving your way towards the implementation of Saas Solutions to increase productivity ASAP.

3. In-Room Guest Stay Experience

As today?s guests are tech-savvy. They want more and more latest technological choices in the hotel room. It?s never been truer than guests coming to hotels for a unique, pleasant experience. Recent studies showcase that around 72% of guests are more prompt to return to a hotel that serves technology for room entertainment. So make sure that being a smart hotelier, you are serving them – the trip of a lifetime, and let them repeat the bookings again & again. Add more value by the latest LIVE TV streaming services like Hulu Plus Live TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, etc.

4. More OTAs Connections

Don?t limit yourself to only relying on direct bookings coming from your website. Go for third-party distribution channels, i.e. OTAs. Here, OTA is an abbreviation of Online Travel Agency. Some of the commonly used OTA examples are Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Priceline, OpenTable, Booking.com, TripAdvisor Inc, etc. You can easily go and list your hotel on multiple online distribution channels available on the internet. Once you?re listed then Congratulation! You are on a roadmap to reach out to more guests using the future hotel technology in hospitality industry. The more OTAs connection shall bring you the more revenue, for sure.

5. Cyber-Security Practices

The flip side of increased usage of the internet of things and other third-party applications is your business is more prone to vulnerability. It has been witnessed that hotels are easy targets of intruders to prompt security threats. A smart decision apparently, to deploy and configure up-to-date cyber security solutions for your hotel. You can opt for hiring cyber security professionals to help follow the needs and vulnerabilities faced by your organization. Best practice to keep sensitive information safe by using any updated tool/software such as firewalls, antivirus programs, anti-malware software, etc.?

6. Big DATA

Within hospitality management, the term- Big data is commonly associated with guest behavior, interactions, and feedback. It is game-changer hotel technology that sparks storms of creativity in any industry that it touches. Using Big Data insights, the hotels and hospitality industry can multiply profits by leaps and bounds. As it helps in forecasting analytics, better expense management, and greater customer satisfaction.

Conclusion

Although the global crisis has changed the guest?s behavior and communication towards hotel staff and management. It makes sense to adopt these future hotel technology trends to revolutionize your guest list. These advancements broadly positively affect the hospitality industry. Do you want to get that WOW factor in your hotel? We at Shoocal provide AI-powered ROI CRM best designed for catering to the all needs of restaurants and hotels. Need help in installation? We are happy to assist you.

Want more tips to grow your hotel business? Keep reading our blogs.

Hotel Automation Technology – A Successful Bet

In today?s date, hotel visitors often get frustrated by the same common offline/online experiences like delaying in getting basic information and responses (in case of offline, a delay from hotel staff), facing difficulty while navigating a website that is not updated, lack of IoT software usage, etc. Indeed, no one wants to stay in a hotel automation that doesn?t serve a comfortable, customized stay integrated with smart IoT-enabled devices. In the blink of an eye, they make their mind switch to another high torch hotel. In such type of competitive landscape, hoteliers need to make a significant approach for making highly demanding, tech-enabled guest services.?

Big thanks ahead to innovative hotel automation technology! Using this you can easily outcome some tangible, beneficially results for your sales strategy. Along with reduced cost, this automation in hotel automation industry has so many others benefits. If you are finding it hard to get enough guests? retention rate, of course with customer satisfaction then it is worth spending 4 minutes reading for this write-up. Here, I have penned down what is the role of automation in hotel industry? How this smart technology not only helps hoteliers to build a positive relationship with guests but also anticipates their needs at their best.?

4 Key-Perks Of Automation In Hotel Industry

However, hotel automation technology plays important role in offering endless opportunities for different business verticals like healthcare, telecommunications, travel, food & beverages, e-commerce websites, etc. For the hospitality industry, it is the right tool to standardize in. Here are some key-perks how automation in hotel automation industry is a wise decision a hotelier takes for his business:

You can also read : 5 Benefits of a Contactless Hotel Solution

1. Chatbots Make Guests Happy!

?Want to make your guests happy? Simply add a customized Chatbot on your landing page/in-room tablets/hotel automation software that matches your hotel automation business needs and let your guests do the booking again for a future stay!?

Yes, it has been proven by many pieces of research and theories that hotel guests feel much more comfortable while talking with Chatbot as compared to talking with a customer care executive. No doubt, Chatbots always remain in a win-win situation when compared with a human assistant. They (Chatbots) instantly reply to all the queries with detailed information that they have pursued through past users? experiences and in-puts. So obviously, guests get more open to these bot assistance and share their requirements comfortably.

2. Voice Searches Offer High Torch Hospitality.

?Take a wise decision to adopt ?voice searches? for exponentially boosting your hotel guests list!?

Yes, the grand success of Amazon Echo, Apple?s Siri, Google Home, and Microsoft?s Cortana is proof that voice searches are one of the revolutionary technological advancements which are ruling the latest technology trends like a ?PRO?. From automated check-ins, check-outs to in-room services such as automated ON/OFF lights, fans, A/C, blinds/window coverings, TVs, and set-top boxes are being performed by the voice command. These intuitive gadgets add more features to hotel guest service.

3. A Cost-Effective, Fully Compliant Hospitality Software To Manage The Staff.

Hotels, fine dining restaurants, and other service-based businesses may function very disparate from one another, but all heart functions revolve throughout the staff scheduling. Such full complaints, automated hospitality software help unlock the potential real-time visibility across your entire workforce. Using this, you own a centralized hub from where you can take a glance at critical data analytics, such as labor costs per staff, unassigned shifts, breaks, position-based availability, and much more. Since a lot of time & energy is saved by automated IoT devices, It typically cut-off your entire cost.

4. Helpful In Giving Useful Customer Insights

It has been said – there is always a scope for improvement. The same you can apply here. You can enhance your guest services and experiences in various ways. The automation in hotel automation industry gives hotel owners and marketers a privilege to improvise in hotel services by giving a thoughtful insight onto targeted guests, analyzing their behavior and discovering global trends, conducting competitive research, digging up personalized information, and much more. In short, you can gain a significant competitive edge with such cognitive software and please your hotel visitors.

Conclusion

In the crux, the role of automation in hotel automation industry brings acquiring a loyal customer base for hotels with positive brand value. While the majority of popular hotel brands, restaurants, and marketers are relying on the potential of hotel automation technology. This is high time to invest your money in the latest IoT devices that shall drove-in real-time customer engagement for a business.?

To avoid any pitfalls and mishappening, we are here to assist you regarding QR Codes Menu uploads, other AI-powered restaurants, hotel CRM software, customer loyalty program, etc. Our assistant would love to demonstrate you the entire module, simply schedule a call at +91-8989143856 today!

P.S. Keep reading our upcoming blogs!

How Smart Hotel Technologies Are Simplifying Life For Guests And Hotel Owners?

AI, machine learning and IoT are redefining the rules of management and smart sustenance all over the world. The hospitality industry has embraced this digital disruption with open arms and is using it to get an edge on operational and branding fronts. Smart hotel technologies have proved to be a boon for both guests and owners. In this blog, we are exploring the most brilliant innovations that turned hotels into intelligent environments without penalizing operations, brand reputation or expenditure sheets.?

Some smart hotel technologies are discuss below:

Improved Guest Experience:

Smart room keys and automatic hotel check-ins were already in play when COVID-19 hit the world. Now, these are just basic tools to enhance customers? convenience. Hotels are further evolving to improve the guest experience with new features like online booking through apps, remote keys, VR tours, automated check-in and check-outs, scheduled room cleaning, personalized menu notifications, and so on. Then there are establishments setting new benchmarks by introducing voice control in basic room settings, robots, integration of Amazon Alexa, sharing of hotel remote controls, translation devices, etc.

Smart Energy Management:

If you thought smart hotel technologies in hotels are limited to guests? convenience then hold that thought. Owners are making the best of smart hotel technologies energy management systems that run on machine learning algorithms. These algorithms keep analyzing the thermodynamic history of the hotel, peak demand loads, and local weather conditions to optimize energy consumption all along the year.?

Most hotels that employed this technique reduced their energy bills by twenty per cent despite full occupancy and gained a return on this investment within 12-24 months. Also, the resale value of these places went up by a notch. The perks of these systems go beyond HVAC systems, for instance, the smart lighting systems help owners understand their energy requirements and make changes to keep them under control in a long run. Similarly, app-based scheduling of cleaning activities optimizes water consumption and reduces manpower wastage.?

Predictive Maintenance:

Hotels are huge establishments with premium architecture and interior designs. Upkeep and maintenance of such buildings is a humongous task that needs funds, time, and labour. The use of these resources can be optimized through a predictive maintenance system. The system predicts and rectifies issues before they turn into huge repair assignments. It keeps recording and analyzing sensor data to pinpoint plausible causes of damages to property. The maintenance staff is then notified through alerts and recommended actions.

Predictive maintenance systems use IoT based technologies to prevent systemic & constitutional failures and control the costs of repair and maintenance. For instance, a leaking faucet repair may cost hundreds of dollars per year. Add water wastage, guests? inconvenience, and structural damage caused by that one leakage. Hope you can see the dent in your brand reputation.

And that?s just one error, calculate the total number of rooms and things that may go wrong in each every month. Investment in a predictive maintenance system doesn?t sound as costly now, does it?

Smart Reserved Parking:

Hotel apps now have smart sensors that allow guests to reserve parking spots in advance while making reservations. The booked spots are allotted to the respective guest upon arrival. The system helps hotels cut down labour costs that would otherwise be spent on manual parking management. Also, it reassures the guest about the safety of their vehicle giving them time to manage other travel details.

Smart Room Services:

Smart occupancy sensors allow hotel management to send menu details to guests that are in their room at lunch, dinner or supper time. On an advanced level, it allows hotels to send personalized recommendations based on a guest?s order history. Personalized services like these can play a key role in establishing better engagement with clients who visit your town frequently especially around holidays.

Employee Engagement:

Smart hotel technologies can take away mundane and repetitive tasks from employees and create a more interesting portfolio of roles and responsibilities for them. It will give them more time to build a constructive relationship with their guests and spend less time on manual tasks like record management,? check-in/check-out arrangements, luggage disposal, room service, etc. There are individuals who aren?t comfortable with automation technologies and robots. Integration of smart hotel technologies can provide those guests with better access to hotel staff.?

Conclusion

Every major change comes with its own boon and banes. Yes, the inclusion of smart technologies improves operational and management efficiency, but it also raises the demand for data privacy and security. A small breach in data records can compromise your brand reputation for years.

Machines are a cool replacement for manual labour intensive tasks but they can?t replace human courtesy and warmth. You will need to set a fine balance between technology and hospitality to give your guests a reason to return.

10 Technologies That Will Define The Hospitality Industry This Year

Human hospitality transcends boundaries, nationalities, races, and communities and hotels are standing odes to this beautiful practice. In every era, they have represented the best of technology, comfort, amenities and taste that a culture has to offer. And as the world is currently grappling with COVID-19 challenges, they are navigating the way to a safer lifestyle through smart integration of advanced technologies.

In this blog, we are discussing hospitality technology trends and how the hospitality sector is staying afloat in a pandemic prone world by reinventing its age-old practices and norms.

AI First Aid for the Travel Hospitality Industry small

Hospitality Technology Trends:

1. Smart Hotel Rooms:

Gone are the times when people craved to spend days within four walls of their homes. They have been in so much that now they just want to break out of it. Even getting a room in a hotel for a few days sounds better for a change.

Hotels are working to help people break the monotony of their homes with smart rooms. These rooms obey the will of their owner and help them stay focused on the most important things. Aloft Cupertino, Hotel, and Hub by Premier Inn are some of the top options in this niche. Here you can enjoy smart tools like Concierge video chats

Smart mirrors
Wireless charging
Facial recognition
Voice control
Tablet-monitoring
Digital controls

2. IoT

The Internet of Things or IoT allows the connection of various digital devices to a single central source. It means the customer can control various hotel room gadgets, key cards, and room settings from a tablet or smartphone.

IoT paves the way to better personalization of services as the guest gets to keep control of all features of their room through a single device. As for the hotel, the same technology can be used to ensure a seamless experience for the client and quick identification and resolution of issues before they turn into a major problem.

3. Virtual Reality Tours:

Virtual Reality tour is among the hottest hospitality technology trends. According to an eMarketer report, the U.S. alone has over 59 million VR users. Hotels like NH Hotels and Shangri-La are already providing VT tours to their customers where they can experience the virtually recreated accommodations, hotel amenities, and best attractions near the hotel.

The feature speeds up the decision process as the VR headset user can compare the experience offered by different hotels and decide what?s best for them.?

4. Translation Devices:

Hotels need to overcome language barriers in a more effective way. Integration of translation devices into guest services can simplify communication on both ends and earn extra credits to your hotel. The technology can improve the process of checking in, checking out, ordering meals, and buying goods from souvenir shops.

For now, it is among the latest trends and technologies in the hospitality industry but soon it will turn into a mandatory practice for hotels across the globe. If you are looking to implement this technology, check out the Subtitles by Waverly Labs. it is a two-sided customer service counter display that combines adaptable hardware technology, machine translation, and speech recognition in one device.?

Relevant Resource: A Seamless Guest Experience for Hotels is Here

5. Cybersecurity:

In the last few years, the hospitality sector experienced some of the worst data breaches. These included premium brands like Hilton, Marriot, and IHG. Most of these breaches stole the most crucial information from the hotel?s database that included clients? payment details and managers? information.

There is a rising demand for apps with strong defences against phishing attacks and human errors. Most hotels are looking for technologies that ensure safe storage of payment information, client details, etc. As work from hotels in catching up as a staycation trend, it is mandatory to invest in stronger security measures that keep your brand reputation intact.

6. Automation:

Automatic check-in, contactless payments, and digital menus are all part of hotel automation. With the ongoing pandemic, such systems aid in the creation of a safer environment for guests where all formalities and securities checks are taken care of with a few clicks.

Chatbots and widgets are also some of the new technology used in hotels as part of the automation process. It can facilitate 24/7 service for guests who need help in the middle of the night, analysis of visitors? preferences, and quick response to difficult queries. The most advanced systems are a combination of ML and AI-based systems that collect and analyses the data at the same time. The result is an enhanced experience for the guest and better time management at both ends.?

7. Cloud-Based Hotel Property Management System (PMS):

It is a key hospitality technology that will soon become part of hospitality sectors across the world. Clouds allow centralized storage of information and give access to every team member as per requirement. Going cloud can easily boost operation efficiency, simplify accessibility, bring down costs, and speed up various property management processes. CRM apps like Cloudbeds PMS, Mews, Clock PMS+, HotelTime, InnRoad, and RoomRaccoon are some of the few that are currently leading this niche. The setup process for these systems is seamless and time-saving. The authorized person gets quick access from any gadget irrespective of time and place.

8. Blockchain Services:

It is rather a very rare new technology used in hotels for now, but the sooner you adopt the better. Cryptocurrency will soon fuse with e-wallet systems across the world as more and more millennials are investing in it. You can easily become a pioneer in this respect by giving your guests an opportunity to pay through cryptocurrency. The Kessler Collection is one of the first US-based luxury hotels to set the trend and more and join in. It is an easy way to position your hotel as a contemporary and futuristic place that keeps up with the changing market trends.

9. Robots:

Robots have a vital role in the facilitation of contactless service. They can easily be used to welcome guests, provide key information, answer basic queries, take care of housekeeping tasks, and improve room service. As the norm of social distancing is not going anywhere in near future, robots may put the biggest safety concern at rest while keeping the business running at all ends. Hilton, Crowne Plaza, Yotel, EMC2, and Aloft are already putting this technology to use, you may not want to stay behind.

10. Energy Saving Appliances:

Along with smart rooms, robots, and blockchain services, hotels can really up their games by adding energy-saving appliances to their rooms. Not only will it be economical for your hotel but will be a feel-good factor for your customers.