Hotel Genius

This audio was created using Microsoft Azure Speech Services

I like to think of myself as a frequent traveler: more than 35 countries visited, at the top of a few airline status lists, and with a fail-safe packing strategy. Last week, I read a fascinating article in Travel + Leisure about how hotels are using social media to better understand their guests. Invasive or clever, I thought it was very thought provoking, and it stuck with me as a frequent traveler.

While on a business trip this week, I am staying at a limited-service budget hotel which is part of a major US chain. After I woke up in the middle of the night last night (because the air conditioner was alternating between freezing and hot…and never stopped at the right temperature), I again thought of this article—should this hotel use my past stays to make me more comfortable!?

Then I had an “a-ha” moment: no, the hotel chain most likely shouldn’t get into the ethical gray area of monitoring its guests via social media. So that can’t be the right solution. But wait…doesn’t my company play in this space every day?

Instead of an hotelier watching my every move, what if I—as the guest—could control my environment in a simple, transparent way? A hotel can allow those staying within its rooms to set preferences within the bounds of each stay, all the while reaching sustainability goals whilst the room is not occupied: maximum guest comfort and delight with a focus on the environment.

I took a quick peek at our solutions for hotels on our website, and while some in the hotel market are using social media (in a manor some may view as to the extreme), I like the idea that an environment can be controlled by me, to my liking. That is the type of hotel that would keep me as a loyal customer!

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Conversation

  • I checked into a hotel’s lobby cafe while working on my computer to find no one to order a coffee from. 2 hours later I got a twitter response from my check in from the hotel. Even if they are monitoring they aren’t always doing it right.

  • Shan Bates

    12 years ago

    Ashley, in addition to the article I shared in my blog, I once heard a fantastic example of the Hilton in Minneapolis using FourSquare as a method of increasing guest delight:

    When a man who was quite fanatic about the World Cup in 2010 checked in at the Hilton, he mentioned that he was sad to miss that afternoon’s game, due to the conference he was attending. When he got back to his room that evening, the hotel had left a World Cup goody bag with a note detailing the scores of that day’s matches. The man was so pleased, this story made it around the entire SCUP conference…I learned about it in a session I attended!

  • Hotels use the fidelity program to adjust and set your room up. When you check in, your setup is “loaded” onto your key, into your room (TV Welcome message, temperature, language, welcome light scene, etc).
    We are delivering this with our hotel solutions and have a few new things coming up that will take this up another level:-)
    May have to “interview” you to understand the various guest experience you have had for market research. Thanks for the article. PS

    • Shan Bates

      12 years ago

      Fidelity sounds interesting, yet not too intrusive. Would like to know more about the new things you mention to “take this up another level.”

      Since sometimes I am on the road more than at home, I would enjoy offering my opinion, should you want to conduct an interview. Thanks for the comment!

  • Hi Shan! Good blog. Give me a ring sometime, and I can share more about what the hotel segment is doing/looking at doing on this regard.

    Best, Brian

  • хотел

    12 years ago

    Usually I do not learn article on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very forced me to try and do it! Your writing taste has been surprised me. Thanks, very nice post.

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