Modern hospitality still aligns to the foundations of comfort, cleanliness and ease throughout the stay. Simple check-ins, kind and efficient staff members, clean rooms, and personalized, connected experiences make a hotel stand out. So what do hotel guests want, and has anything changed? Survey says: property technology, especially Wi-Fi, still tops the guest preferences list.
Every year, we look forward to seeing the Hospitality Technology Guest Engagement Study as it unveils the preferences of hotel guests. Despite current economic impacts, people are still traveling. In fact, AHLA released a survey that showed that half of U.S. adults plan to travel before the end of the year. With all this travel, guests have expectations when traveling for work and leisure – or both. Let’s take a look at the results and what tops the lists.
Hotel Guests Want Wi-Fi
“Fast, reliable, secure, and free Wi-Fi remains a top priority, an essential service rather than a luxury,” according to the study. This connectivity hit #1 at 84% for guests when deciding how important technologies/applications are for selecting one hotel over another.
Whether it’s streaming shows or podcasts, logging into Zoom meetings, or just browsing social media, strong connectivity is essential. But it’s more than that. This critical backbone for the hotel enables the entire experience. The Wi-Fi powers security cameras, energy management and smart thermostats, check-in kiosks, access to loyalty apps, housekeeping systems, you name it… All of these touchpoints impact the overall experience, so it’s no secret that Wi-Fi will rank at the top of guest preferences – and should rank at the top for hotel operations too.
Personalized In-Room Connectivity
Smart TVs with access to streaming services, including Netflix and Hulu, have become a baseline expectation for personalized in-room entertainment. This includes TV Casting from personal devices and being able to multitask on that device while enjoying their preferred programming. 71% chose smart TVs/content streaming inside the guestroom as “important or very important” in the study.
Mobile Control Over Their Stay
Hotel guests want simplicity in their stays. After traveling all day dealing with airports, car rentals, and crowds, they want to be able to quickly check-in from their phones and go straight to the room with their mobile wallet keys. They should already be logged into the Wi-Fi, especially if they are a loyalty member and stay at the same brand regularly. If they need more towels, they can order it from their device. Continue watching their favorite show? Simply cast it to the TV. The research also showed that guests want to receive and redeem discounts and special promotions (67%). Maybe even adjust lighting and thermostats after they are laying in bed for the night…
Technology is really changing the experience in positive ways for guests. While it’s still about bringing home comforts but in an elevated way, each touchpoint is important and makes or breaks the stay. If staffing is still limited, technology is a good way to offset that concern. Aligning to what hotel guests want will pay back in the long-run to create more personalized, connected experiences that bring them back.
We are just a couple of weeks out from The Hospitality Show in Denver next week. If you’d like to chat about how Nomadix and Vingcard can help align your hotel with guest preferences, we’d love to chat at the booth #1101, right when you walk into the show floor entrance. Feel free to book a meeting.
Mike Womack is vice president of Americas partner sales with Nomadix, an ASSA ABLOY company. He brings more than 20 years of successful sales leadership with a proven track record of exceeding annual sales targets, capturing new markets and positioning organizations for growth.