Lessons in Connectivity from the Hotel Industry
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APEX Insight: Whether on an airplane or in a hotel, guests expect to be connected. Trends in the slightly-more-seasoned hotel industry include tiered models with complimentary service as the base, easy-to-access networks and improved digital experiences.
The trend among airlines – Etihad, American Airlines and Singapore Airlines, to name a few – to refer to its customers as “guests” rather than passengers is not an empty vocabulary adjustment. From Etihad’s The Residence Suite to JetBlue’s Mint Class, airlines are increasingly aligning their offerings with those in the hospitality industry – and connectivity is no exception.
With an inevitable crossover of clientele, hotel Wi-Fi services – having both the head start and advantage of a less complex technological deployment – set the standard for the in-flight connectivity experience. “Wi-Fi is simply something guests expect,” explains Brooks Martin, senior director, Mobile and Digital Guest Experiences, Marriott International at the Global Connected Aircraft Summit (GCAS) this week in Washington, DC. “Guests feel like it is a utility.”
While most hotels initially charged guests to use Wi-Fi, the overwhelming movement in the hospitality industry is to offer access for free. A recent Expedia study found that over half of respondents look for complimentary Wi-Fi when making hotel bookings. “It needs to be solid, vast and free,” concurs John Prusnick, director of IT Innovation and Strategy, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts on the same GCAS panel.
Both Martin and Prusnick agree that beyond free Wi-Fi, easy access is key. “We’ve tried to make a focus not just on the quality, but to make it something easy to have access to. If it’s not convenient then it sort of sours the rest of the experience as well,” Martin explains. “We’re looking at how to create a frictionless service,” Prusnick adds.
Guests don’t want to pull out their credit cards to log on, and they certainly don’t want to deal with a tedious authentication process – a process that is blamed for disappointing take up rates in both the airline and hospitality industry. Hotel groups are responding by building robust digital networks that remember customer information, limiting the number of necessary transactions. “Guests should have to log on once and then never have to log on again,” says Prusnick. “Why not carry the same experience through to the airplane?”
“Guests should have to log on once and then never have to log on again. Why not carry the same experience through to the airplane?” – John Prusnick, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts
Quality connectivity for all is the goal, but the highest bandwidth comes at a premium. “We have a tiered model, so our premium guests do have a premium service of a higher bandwidth available for free,” explains Prusnick. Or at Marriott, as Martin explains, “We try and treat it as a ‘freemium’ model,” where elite members benefit from reduced costs and/or better quality.
By hosting guests with connected devices, hotels are able to broaden their digital service portfolios to enhance the guest experience. Marriott’s recently-launched Mobile Request app gives premium guests a casual way to communicate with front desk staff – a premium service not too dissimilar from Etihad’s new invitation-only Twitter account, open exclusively to the airline’s elite flyers.
Likewise, guests comfortable with electronic check-in at airports can now do the same on both Marriott and Hyatt properties. Prusnick described a pilot program conducted by Hyatt at Chicago O’Hare International Airport that enabled travelers to check-in from the airport – an option that not only improves the journey for guests, but also promises to improve efficiency for the hotel operations, especially during events and peak periods.