Grow Your Hotel Business with IoT in Hospitality

The Internet of Things, which means connecting digital devices via the internet, has opened up many opportunities for industries to grow. Various sectors like agriculture, healthcare, sports, and manufacturing have successfully applied IoT. Hotels can also take advantage of this technology with IoT in hospitality.

IoT in the hospitality industry means a network of interconnected devices using the internet to improve the guest experience and cut costs.

Hotels like Le Meridien Goa, Calangute, and Marriott have successfully implemented IoT in their functions.

This blog discusses how you can grow your hotel business using IoT.

How do Hotels benefit from IoT?

The 21st century is the age of customization and personalization. Every individual wishes to have customized products and services.

Customization adds a personal touch to the services provided to the guests. As obvious as it sounds, the guest experience is at the core of the hospitality industry. Every hotel aims to enhance the guest experience, and IoT can certainly help hotels achieve that.

Some of the benefits that IoT offers to the hotels are:

• Routine operations like front desk management and housekeeping can be automated using IoT, which will reduce the costs of hiring new human resources.
• Maintenance becomes more manageable as there are no unnecessary calls in the middle of work. IoT also makes maintenance cheaper and time-efficient.
• IoT enables you to collect and manage customer data efficiently. You can analyze the customer data such as their likes, dislikes, preferences, etc., to provide them a better experience at your hotel.
• When you understand your guests better, you will be able to serve them better, which will lead to a higher satisfaction rating.
• Higher satisfaction will lead to more positive reviews for your hotel, thus leading to higher revenue generation.
• IoT helps you to keep a check on your processes as well. You can better analyze the services and track your processes, which would provide you insights enabling you to tweak your services to suit the customer’s expectations.
• To implement IoT in your hotel, you do not need to replace your existing devices. IoT can be integrated with your current appliances, leading to cost cuts and better services.

IoT improves the operational efficiency of the hotels, thus helping them fulfill their primary objective of providing an enhanced experience to their guests.

How does IoT in Hospitality benefit Guests?

Guests are the ultimate consumers of hotel services. The entire hospitality industry is dependent on guest feedback and reviews.

IoT ensures that your guests have a comfortable and convenient experience at your hotel, thus increasing the chances of better feedback.

Some of the benefits that IoT offers to the guests are:

• As mentioned earlier, IoT has automated front desk management. The guests no longer have to wait in long queues for check-in and check-out. These procedures have been streamlined, saving a lot of guests’ time.
• With IoT, hotels can install in-house navigation systems to help the guests easily find their way to the restaurants or other amenities like the gym, spa, or game zone.
• The guests also get the option of personalized rooms. They can customize their room as per their choice. For example, they can ask a virtual assistant to wake them up at a particular time or set the room temperature at certain degrees.
• The IoT-enabled devices may customize the menu or the food as per the guest’s choices. For example, the menu can show special offers on a certain type of cuisine that the guest usually orders.
• The guests also have the option of a smart shower facility. They can instruct the virtual assistant to start the shower at a particular time and with their desired temperature.
• IoT also provides greater security and safety to the guests, as all the processes are technology-driven and require proper authentication.

These are just a tiny part of the range of benefits that IoT can offer to guests. All these services prove to be instrumental in enhancing the overall guest experience.

Applications of IoT in Hospitality

The benefits provided by IoT to both hotels and guests are clear by now.

But in which areas of your hotel business can you implement IoT?

Well, IoT has the potential to improve almost all your business processes. Right from your guests’ check-in to their check-out, IoT can simplify your operations and better serve your guests.

Here are a few areas where you can effectively apply IoT technology.

1. Automated check-in

Instead of a standard check-in counter, you can set up a self-service kiosk to automate your guests’ check-in process. Automated check-in would speed up the process and relieve the guests of the stress of long queues and interaction with the hotel staff. The guests can quickly fill in their details and get access to their room keys without any hassle.

2. Location-based information

With technologies like GPS and Bluetooth, hotels can effectively share location-based data with their guests. Hotels can share messages and other notifications when they are of maximum relevance to the guest.

For example, when a guest passes by the game zone, they can get a message showing the different types of games available in the game zone. While passing by a gym, they can get instant notifications about the various offers on the gym service. Location-based information can also be utilized to share details about local transport and tourist spots nearby.

3. Cross property integration

Hotel chains can take advantage of IoT by centralizing customer data. The data can be stored on a central server, leading to better customer relationship management. Transparency across properties will enable hotels to provide a better service to the guest as they will enjoy similar customized services at all the properties of the chain.

4. Asset management

You can use IoT to keep track of your inventory and assets. Sensors in various assets like luggage racks and cleaning carts enable you to track their movement, leading to better management of the assets.

5. In-room features

Rooms are the highlight of any hotel property. Providing advanced room features to the guests can improve their stay at your hotel by multiple folds. Some of the features that can incorporate IoT include:

• Lighting and Temperature: The guests can easily control the color, brightness, and hues of the lights in the rooms, right from their mobile phones. Similarly, advanced devices allow the guests to change the room’s temperature with the help of thermostats and ACs.
• Water Temperature: The sensors in the water system provide a suitable water temperature to the guests as per the information provided by them.
• Windows and Curtains: Automated windows and curtains offer the guests the facility of controlling them with a press of a button.
• Smart TVs: Smart TVs have become a widespread phenomenon in hotel rooms.
• Food Menus: Many hotels provide the menu to the guests right on their smartphones. The guests can also directly order from their phones without the hassle of contacting the restaurant using the intercom.

6. Key card integration

Hotel rooms enabled with IoT offer comfort to their guests. Modern and more advanced keys have replaced traditional key cards. Now, a guest can access the key on the app and use it to unlock doors, control temperature, window shades, etc.

Hotels can take even more advantage by sending the key to the guest’s mobile phone before the check-in, thus saving time by eliminating the check-in formalities.

7. Indoor delivery robots

IoT-enabled hotels provide automated room delivery services using autonomous indoor delivery robots. These robots are configured with sensors, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, making them able to operate elevators and navigate through crowded areas. These robots speed up the process of room deliveries as there is no human interaction involved.

8. Voice-controlled customer service

Many intelligent hotels provide the guests with a voice-enabled virtual assistant in their room, which they can use to avail various services. A simple voice command can enable the guests to avail services like spa booking, restaurant table booking, housekeeping, room service, etc.

A lot more hotels are likely to adopt this service in the near future.

9. Better event rooms

IoT can also help improve the atmosphere of the event halls and conference rooms. Intelligent devices can change the room’s lighting as per the event type. They can also control the room’s temperature and windows to suit the guest’s requirements. Thus, IoT can not only help in the customization of guest rooms but also in enhancing the event spaces.

10. Tablet and smartphones integration

The facilities mentioned earlier can come into effect using smartphones and tablets. Some hotels provide their own tablets to the guests, while others have applications that the users can download to access various services. Integration of smartphones ensures a seamless, hassle-free, and comfortable stay for the guests.

Need IoT for your Hotel? Contact Idea Usher

IoT in the hospitality industry is not a new concept. Some hotels have already incorporated it into their functioning, while others are in the process of adopting it.

Whether you are just starting in the hotel industry or already have an established business, taking advantage of IoT is something you do not want to miss. IoT can help you scale your business and take it to the next level.

Idea Usher has a proven track record of providing IoT services to various companies. With expertise in multiple technology areas, our developers offer the best web services. Get in touch with us and take your hotel business one step further.

Final Thoughts

IoT has gained a lot of prominence in today’s time. While smart homes and wearables have become a common sight, various other sectors have also utilized IoT to their advantage.

The hospitality industry is one such sector where IoT has done and can do wonders. IoT has done it all for the hotels, whether it is streamlining the processes or providing top-class service to the customers.

While non-IoT-enabled hotels continue to exist, IoT-enabled hotels are a step ahead in the race. Looking at the rate at which IoT is growing, it would not be surprising if most of the hotel tasks get automated in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some FAQs related to IoT in the hospitality industry.

1. Which products do hotels use already to make their hotels smart?

There are a few products already available in the market that you can use for your hotel:

• Amazon Alexa: Alexa is a virtual assistant that can act as a personal assistant for your guests. It is voice-enabled, which can help the guests use voice commands for various services like changing the room’s lights and temperature, calling for housekeeping, or ordering food from the hotel restaurant.
• Mount Kelvin: Mount Kelvin is a device that provides a comfortable experience to the guests with its personalization and control features. Guests can personalize their room without touching the switchboards. The app does it for them.
• Flic: Flic provides a Bluetooth button for all the room delivery requirements. The guests do not have to call reception for their needs. They only have to press the button to notify the housekeeping staff.
• Nest Thermostats: Google Nest is an intelligent thermostat that saves money and energy. Guests can use Nest to cool or heat the room as per their preference. The guests can use the app from anywhere.
• Valpas: Valpas is an innovative product that provides an automated bed bugs prevention system to catch bed bugs. The guest can thus have a comfortable stay.

2. What is the future of hotels without IoT?

While hotels without IoT provide good services to their guests, implementing IoT can certainly prove beneficial as it simplifies a lot of processes, saves cost and energy, and provides a better experience to your guests.

3. I am starting my first hotel business. Can Idea Usher help me with IoT?

Whether you are a newcomer or an experienced business owner, Idea Usher is here to help. We provide a range of services to suit your digital needs. Our experts have experience in delivering services depending on your type of business.