stock repurchase announcements: a test of market ... - Asbbs.org

Hotel Guestroom Technology
booking cost alongside revenue production to get at the true profitability of a reservation. Online
initiatives will be placing more emphasis on a one-to-one customer approach (Scoviak, 2007).
New Innovations in Technology:
High-tech hotels are the wave of the future. For example, The Hotel Valley Ho,
Scottsdale, Az, has undergone a technology makeover. The Valley Ho built in the 1950s is an
unassuming property that has become more competitive by going high-tech. The profile of the
hotel guest is split between leisure and corporate including guests that are visiting Major League
baseball training sites. The hotel’s rates are largely seasonal with the 21 studio suites ranging
from the high- $300’s to mid-$400’s. The hotel is now equipped with a number of technological
amenities: high speed internet is wired into each room; each standard guestroom also features 32”
flat-screen TV’s; suites have 42” versions. All guestrooms have high-definition programming
from LodgeNet. The hotel also has four boardrooms with flat-screen TV’s mounted to the wall.
All of these features are examples of how new technology helps keep smaller venues competitive
and in the game (Hotel Business, 2006).
Innovations in Technology for the Hotel Guest:
LodgeNet claims to be “always on” providing unsurpassed picture and sound in an easy-
to-use guestroom HDTV solution. This is one entertainment claim that is expressed by various
properties. In addition to the connectiveness of a media outlet, there are other concerns for the
hotel guest. The bathroom is considered to be essential for overall comfort. The round Bacino
washbasid allows a great deal of scope when designing a bathrooms’s washing area. Less space is
needed and the surface is free for other amenities. The shape of the tub is essential for overall
comfort. All of these features are only part of the complex issues addressed by hoteliers and
managers. One thing that has become apparent is the dramatic change that has taken place
through digital media; the mainstreaming of digital media might represent hoteliers’ next great
challenge.
ASBBS E-Journal, Volume 4, No.1, 2008 155