Hotels offer guests the latest technology tools - International ...

Hotels Offer Guests the Latest Technology Tools

Hotels are under such pressure to keep up with their gadget-obsessed guests that they are working with technology companies to regain their edge.

Sheraton teamed with Microsoft to create its new Link@Sheraton lounges, as part of an overhaul of the brand that includes carving out spaces in lobbies where guests can use public computers to check their e-mail, print boarding passes and record video greetings to send to family and friends.

Westin struck a deal with Nintendo to outfit some of its fitness centers with Wii consoles and games like Wii Fit, a game that uses a balance board to guide players through exercises and yoga poses.

Even smaller brands are turning to technology leaders to equip their public spaces and guestrooms with the latest electronics. The Gansevoort Hotel Group is working with Sony to develop a lounge at its new Gansevoort South property in Miami Beach. The goal is to relocate the traditional business center to a more social setting near the lobby. The lounge will have Sony computers and PlayStation 3 game consoles as well as digital book readers and cameras.

“What we’re trying to do is give people the chance to experience firsthand the latest in technology,” said Elon Kenchington, Gansevoort’s chief operating officer, explaining that choosing the right technology has become as critical as other elements of a hotel’s design.

“It’s an integral part of not only the success of an operation, but also what makes one brand better than another or more interesting to travelers than other brands,” he said.

Establishing a business relationship with a technology company also makes it easier for hotels to keep up with new products and trends. “One of the challenges for hotels is that you buy equipment that everyone wants today, but within 18 months, it’s not considered unique,” Mr. Kenchington said.

By meeting regularly with Sony, he said, “We already have those products within our business model, so we’re not waiting for them or being asked why don’t we have them.”

Technology companies, in turn, have a chance to show off their wares to a desirable demographic. “The same guests that walk through the hotel lobby are the same consumers Microsoft targets,” said Sandra Andrews, hospitality industry solutions director for Microsoft.

In addition to running Windows software, the PCs in Sheraton’s lounges have Web cameras and a Microsoft application that walks guests through recording and sending a video clip. The goal is to encourage people to try a task they may have found too daunting to explore on their own: for example, having guests use Web cameras to say good night to their kids, Ms. Andrews said.

Yet one challenge for hotels is making sure guests are comfortable using the technology and not being forced to wrestle with products that are too complex. That is particularly the case with guestroom amenities, because customers staying for just a night or two do not have the time, or the patience, to master a complicated process to accomplish a generally simple task like finding a television channel.

“If you need your neighbor’s teenage kid to help you figure out how to use something,” said Henry H. Harteveldt, a travel analyst with Forrester Research, “it’s probably too complex for a hotel to implement.”

That is why the James hotel in Chicago has been spending the last few months testing technology made by Control4, known for its home automation systems. On trial in one guestroom, the system allows guests to operate the lights, the blinds, the thermostat and the television using one remote. It can even be used to set a more customized wake-up experience, in which, for example, the TV turns on and gradually increases in volume.

“Everything slowly comes to life in the room,” said Patrick Hatton, general manager of the James, adding that the hotel was taking time to receive feedback on the Control4 technology to make sure the innovations did not create headaches. “The most important thing for us is to make sure the technology is easy to use.”

Another company working with Control4 is the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, which plans to use the system to create a welcome experience at its Las Vegas property, scheduled to open in late 2009. Guests arriving in their room after checking in will be greeted by the drapes opening, the lights automatically turning on and the television displaying a customized message with the guest’s name.

“When you open the door, that’s what will welcome you instead of a dark room where you’re fumbling for a light switch,” said Monika Nerger, Mandarin’s vice president of technology for the Americas.

She said, though, that the main technology challenge for hotels was increasing their Internet bandwidth to keep up with guests doing more file-intensive activities online. The Las Vegas hotel will offer 400 megabytes of bandwidth, more than double the 160 megabytes at the new Mandarin Oriental in Boston.

Given the economic climate, Mr. Harteveldt cautioned that hotels ought to focus on Internet access and other essential technologies that either help justify a higher room rate or attract more guests.

“Hotels have to make sure they address the basics before they think about the fanciful,” he said. “This is not a time for the fanciful.”