SPECIAL FEATURE: HITEC
SPECIAL FEATURE: HITEC The Mobilization of Information and Interaction Bryan Hammer - IT Director, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Guests’ habits and expectations are changing as millennials become a significant segment. We see hotels interacting directly with guests and their mobile devices for real time conversations, hotel operators now use WhatsApp, iMessage, and SMS to handle guest requests and respond faster than they ever could before. Bryan Hammer IT Director, Starwood Hotels & Resorts CONTACT Starwood Hotels & Resorts Phone: +32 (0)2 207 5000 bryan.hammer@starwoodhotels.com www.starwoodhotels.com What used to be “digital” now needs to be “mobile optimized”, content needs to be adaptive to screen size and create a consistent, homogenized experience for the guest. This applies as well to associate mobilization and back of house systems, where housekeepers and engineers now walk the halls with their tablets in pursuit of greater efficiency. How fast is mobile uptake growing and how far will it go? Ernst & Young reported in 2014 that 60% of hotel guests preferred to purchase or use hotel services on mobile instead of face to face. Gartner is predicting that 50% of all digital commerce revenue will come from mobile (in the US), by 2017. If you’re hotel isn’t just as visible and bookable on mobile as all other channels, you’re losing money. It’s no surprise that mobile will continue growing quickly, and likewise the digital marketing behind the scenes will continue to get more and more sophisticated with geo-targeting, iBeacons, customized re-marketing , and engagement through social media. For the guest, why use an app rather than a mobile web interface? A web interface works great when connected to the Internet, and with good speed. However an app can cache content for offline use and provide a richer, more robust experience, with A 2014 Hotels.com survey listed Internet/Free Wi-Fi as the #1 inroom amenity, above the shower and bed more functionality. Let’s not forget all the international travelers dealing with high roaming data costs jumping from Wi-Fi to Wi-Fi zones, but still want to check details on their future hotel stays, even when not connected. So is mobile up there with hot water and clean sheets as an essential element? A 2014 Hotels.com survey listed Internet/ Free Wi-Fi as the #1 in-room amenity, above the shower and bed. When hotels get bad Wi-Fi reviews, guests choose not to stay there, and groups take their business elsewhere. A website has even been created just for guests to test and publish hotel Wi-Fi connections so they know ahead of time what to expect. I haven’t seen any websites for guests to publish hotels with the best shower pressure or most comfortable beds, so that tells you they are passionate about their Internet. 18 Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport / Worldwide Edition N°26 / June - August 2015
Brought to you by Keeping HITEC Fresh Calculated risks pay off for the show’s advisory committee! Since the last HITEC event, HFTP CEO Frank Wolfe continues to helm the organization. We asked him whether the role is evolving… My role at HFTP is the same, however it has become even more exciting. HFTP has been on a slow and steady uphill climb as an organization for the past 20 years or so while other organizations have been struggling. This growth is a testament to the wonderful support that we have from the industry, a series of great volunteer Directors and dedicated staff. I always try to surround myself with people who are smarter than I am and learn from them. As you can see by HFTP’s growth history, this works pretty well. How do you see HITEC evolving at the moment and over the next years? HFTP has a real responsibility to the industry to make HITEC evolve every year. Our team and the HITEC Advisory Council take calculated risks every year to try and improve HITEC to keep it fresh. This year, HITEC is adding a major new feature… Entreprenuer20x. E20X will gather innovative start-ups to pitch cutting-edge, transformative hospitality technology to an audience of venture capitalists, super angels, serial entrepreneurs and HITEC attendees. Top pitch participants will receive kiosk display space within the HITEC exhibit hall and the winner of the judged pitch competition will also receive a monetary prize from HFTP. HITEC will also feature several other technology tidbits that will be new, including great app technology and one of the greatest Opening Parties ever hosted by HFTP. What’s changing in the way hoteliers perceive technologies in general? Technology in a hotel is becoming less departmentalized and will become more so in the future. For example, I recently attended a session by Scot Campbell CHTP, VP of Caesars Entertainment and a new inductee into the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame who pointed out that with the Internet of Things impacting the industry, practically Technology in a hotel is becoming less departmentalized everything in a hotel will have an IP address. So, if your plumbing has a controller with an IP address that can tell you there is a leak, is that going to be the responsibility of the maintenance department because it always has been or the technology department? What are today’s “must haves” that were maybe not so essential before? Dependable high speed internet capable of servicing guests who bring their own devises, good easy to use apps, expertise in big data down to the property level to name a few. Who should attend HITEC? Anyone who wants to be successful in the hospitality industry. Frank Wolfe CAE – CEO, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) Frank Wolfe joined HFTP in March 1991. Among numerous accolades, in 2000, Lodging Magazine included Wolfe in their who’s who of 75 individuals who have made major contributions to the hospitality industry and in 2011, he was inducted into the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame. Wolfe is a regular magazine columnist, covering current technology trends in the hospitality industry and frequently addresses hospitality groups, press, and consumers in more than 20 countries. CONTACT HFTP +1 (512) 249-5333 www.hftp.org www.cleverhotel.org Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport / Worldwide Edition N°26 / June - August 2015 19
