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Service innovation in the hospitality industry has continuously maintained its status as the backbone of the hotel industry. This is primarily because of hotels’ desire to remain relevant and excite their guests with revolutionary services and products geared towards creating exceptional guest experiences.
For your inspiration, we have compiled a list of hotel innovations that have revolutionised the industry and can guarantee unrivaled guest experiences when creatively applied. We are all searching for top-notch, exciting, incredible, hot, and unique global travel destinations. However, we go beyond just the destinations and look at the amenities, activities, and entertainment offered at the destinations.
If you manage a hotel, making changes and the following innovations to your hotel space will go a long way in ensuring you are at par with your competitors.
1) Guest Engagement
Online guest interaction along with tech-friendly environments are becoming exponentially important. Presently, hotel guests demand immediate responses, 24/7 service, and readily available information on various digital channels.
Rapid responses to all these inquiries are usually costly and challenging for many hotel owners. Therefore, it is no surprise that there has been a surge in startups offering artificial intelligence chatbots and solutions for the hospitality field.
Artificial intelligence facilitated chatbots and communication can offer fast services and therefore improve the quality of customer service and general guest experience. In addition to the immediate responses and AI-powered personalised service offerings, hotel guests will have the opportunity of enjoying advanced levels of tech-based services using intelligent devices to manipulate their room environments, such as room temperature and lighting.
2) Sustainability
With the current issue of climate change featured in almost all media outlets, sustainability has become a powerful trend in every industry, and hospitality is no different. As a result, the popularity of sustainable travel adventures with reduced environmental impact will rise in popularity with time.
There is a significant increase in travelers targeting to cut their carbon footprint and looking for eco-friendly hospitality offerings. Therefore, hotels should come up with means of ensuring they remain as carbon neutral as possible.
These may range from a variety of initiatives such as the provision of e-mobility solutions, using renewable energy sources, minimising water consumption, and providing more vegan and vegetarian restaurant options.
More particularly in the sustainable and organic food segment, most startups include new delicious creations in the beverages and food industry to encourage guests� consciousness about the dangers of environmental pollution to visit and enjoy their stay with the hotel.
3) Experience Economy
Tailoring experiences has become essential to standing out in the hotel business since there is an ever-increasing demand for unique experiences and extreme personalisation. Organisations in the hospitality industry have continued to respond to the trend by offering extraordinary activities such as unique dining experiences guiding hike adventures for exceptional mountain experiences, and top-notch service delivery.
The request for tours by locals and indigenous produce is also increasing since guests plan to explore genuine local diversities in their tour destinations. However, for hotels to invite travelers with greater expectations of the hotel than mere sleep, there is a need for advancements in the future.
A good number of hotels are currently experimenting with new concepts such as short-period rentals of deluxe homes or nature cabins to get a break from the hectic jungle life. As a result, you do not have to trade any of your stay preferences to experience a unique tour experience.
4) Retailing
Experienced retailers know that customer journeys go beyond the visit to a shop and further than physical stores. Presently, the hotel industry is adopting various retail practices and formulas. Essentially, hotel retailing is concerned with identifying new revenue ventures for hoteliers by offering ancillary services beyond food and lodging capable of optimising guest experiences such as laundry, ticketing, and rental services.
However, you have probably seen it in branding all over, from wine to chocolates that you might sometimes get in in-house hotel shops. Another chance is unbundling room attributes like balcony, floor level, and housekeeping service frequency to retail them on an add-on basis. This will allow the customer to personalise their experience according to what is most important to them.
Some hotels go to the extent of providing rooms on an hourly basis in order to most efficiently use the hotel resources. However, this trend goes beyond the conventional and sleep room customer. Why not go on to provide underutilised rooms varying from conference rooms and meeting rooms to the hotel�s parking space innovative for your non-staying guests.