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Smart Hotels – Are They a Luxury or a Necessity?

Why the confusion as to what "SMART" is??

In this inundated age of electronics, everything is ‘smart.’ We have smart phones, smart cars, and smart tv’s. So what about smart hotels? The hotel industry has turned their vision to the rising demand for amenities in a hotel. What was once a luxury is now a necessity to many and an expectation from the average traveler. Thus, the smart hotel is fast becoming a necessarily for success in the hospitality industry.

But a smart hotel isn’t necessarily about being electronically laden. It doesn’t mean that there is a tablet on the bed and your lights are remote controlled, well, not in totality. It is more than devices.

A smart hotel is about being connected. Real time data. Interaction with your environment and your destination. Though it also includes accommodating the needs (wants) of the traveler, it is more than luxury amenities. It is about making the hotel accommodate the traveler, allowing them to utilize their amenities to increase the comfort, functionality and fun of their hotel stay.

Smart technologies like keyless entry and climate control through a personal smartphone is becoming a popular start for many hotels. The demand for streaming capabilities is something that many hotels are trying their best to explore. The complexity of secure wi-fi and streaming is difficult. But the demand is there as the traveler brings his personal electronic libraries on the road and prefers to utilize them in his hotel room. Streaming movies and music is fast becoming the norm while traveling.

Booking services and meals through the concierge is becoming ‘old fashioned.’ The new “cool” is to be able to take care of these necessities via in-room electronic tablets or through smartphone apps. Is this a luxury, or simply a sign of the times? That is the real question.

But whether it’s a luxury or a sign of the times is irrelevant really. In today’s market, where customer demands are as high as the expectations and competition, smart hotels are fast becoming the necessity. At least smart-er hotels. Things that only 5 years ago would be considered very luxurious or impossible are expected today. The customers expect many amenities to be available and many times included. The personal touch is not expected, the electronic touch is.

If one is to compete in today’s hotel market, then the smart hotel is where the market is heading. Actually, it’s likely where it has arrived. Gone are the days of brass keys and bills slipped under the door. Today’s smart hotel is smartphone keyed and controlled from check in to check out, streamlined and everything the traveler is looking for in a home away from home. The smart hotel has all the luxuries of yesterday to meet the demanded necessities of today.

Until Next Time,

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Robert Colin Bryant - Founder, TBG Innovative Ltd.

TBG Innovative specializes in the planning & development of international 5 star hotels, blending real estate, branding, master planning, and construction to create “great destinations”.  To learn more about TBG Innovative visit us at www.tbginnovative.com