As a hospitality sector business, you would like to stay in-sync with the latest trends in the global hospitality industry. This is rather important since trends that are increasingly engaging attention soon can become a standard demand from your hotel guests. Following are some of the new hotel trends that are making their presence felt across the globe. Read about these to decode how they might affect the type/range of services you offer or how you manage your hotel.
1. More Emphasis on Hotel “Lobbying”
Perhaps, hotels are realizing that merely having a decorated lobby isn’t sufficient to gain customer loyalty or guests are seeking more, inside-the-hotel time—either way, the hotel lobby is fast making a comeback as an important section of the hotel environment. Mobile recharging consoles are on the rise.
Vibrantly-colored interiors along with free access for checking emails are also being offered.While bigger hotels can afford to offer docking stations for iPhones too, smaller hotels are attempting to ensure that eat-as-you-move kind of snacks/drinks is offered in their lobbies.
2. Mobile-Enabled Frontdesk Management
Hotel-owners, irrespective of their scale of operations, have understood that using Hospitality Management Systems to fast-track their operations is on the verge of becoming a standard, industry feature.
However, many of the Hotel PMS Systems offer restrictive features. They don’t seem to understand the demands of hotel property managers who are on-the-move.
Yes, just like an enthusiastic traveler, many hotel-owners and hotel managers need to move about too. This includes searching for better vendors, checking-out new locations, attending industry seminars, finalizing deals with travel agents or supervising their marketing efforts.
The point is that such people were feeling restricted by Hotel Management Software that didn’t allow outside-the-premises connectivity with their business.This problem seems to have caught the attention of progressive, Hotel Software System providers.
This also suggests another, arising trend in the hospitality business though it is removed from the hotel-stay aspect, i.e. arrival of more robust Hotel Property Management Systems that maximize ROI and offer a bigger range of features.
3. Increasing Surcharges Becoming a Norm
This might bring an instant smile to your face. Amenity fee has almost become a norm across many US hotels. Now, housekeeping surcharges and luggage storage surcharges are also being levied.
If you fear that this might drive away your clients, don’t do it just for the sake of adding a few more dollars to your daily revenue. However, this means that you can look forward to inflating your bill marginally as this practice gains more acceptability.
4. Welcome to the Age of Pump Dispensers
Pump dispensers in bathrooms might not be the best news for folks who like those tiny, carry-away bottles of hair conditioners, lotions and shampoos. For hotel-owners, the growing trend of pump dispensers essentially means lesser expenditure and manpower for replacements/refills.
Guests are likely to waste lesser with dispensers. You might not want to jump on to this trend though it does offer the lure of some immediate savings. Some of your guests might love the neatly-wrapped soaps on the counter top that lends a personalized touch to your service.
5. Tubs Might not be the Choice as You Plan Ahead
Recently-renovated or newly-opened hotels are indicating a strong preference for showers overs bathtubs. This isn’t applicable to the budget hotels only. Even luxury brands opine that business travelers have a fondness for showers.
However, hotels catering to families are still likely to continue with the flexibility of offering a shower and a bathtub. If you plan to do away with bathtubs in some rooms, you might want to inform your guests about this.
6. Electronic Check-ins
It seems that the era of Smarter (Electronic) Check-Ins is upon us. However, this feature is presently restricted to hotels with bigger, fatter pockets. Most of them are offering it as a part of “Preferred Guest” services. Some people like this for the niche treatment they get rather than the ease of checking-in that is supposed to be the actual feature.
What is an Electronic Check-in? Guests registered as Preferred/Privileged customers are sent key cards equipped with the latest of identification technology that uses radio frequencies. On the day of guest’s confirmed arrival, a text message is relayed to his mobile device, carrying basic details like room number, timing, etc (credit smith). Upon his actual arrival, the guest doesn’t need to confirm his stay at the Frontdesk. He simply moves to his room and uses the key-card.
Most of these hospitality sector trends are rather encouraging for hoteliers. Further, the booking/reservations volumes are on-the-rise despite the negativity emanating from the Euro crisis. With increased reservations and more business intelligence technologies, like Hotel PMS systems, being offered, the 2014 Hotel Industry Outlook seems encouraging!!
Keep checking this Blog for more updates regarding the latest Hospitality trends, particularly from the Hotel Technology niche.
Click here to try now. It takes less than 10 minutes to setup your hotel for test run on Hotelogix.
