How IoT Could Take Hospitality to Another Level 

The Internet of Things is the hottest tech trend to affect many industries; the hospitality industry included. This state-of-the-art technology is changing the way services, and products deliver value, and it also has the potential to redefine the guest experience by solving real-time guest queries and rendering hyper-personalized recommendations. It is, therefore, important for hotel managers and owners to embrace the IoT and make the most out of it. While 26.6 billion IoT devices were active in 2019, many people still struggle to fully understand what IoT is and how it can be utilized to make our lives easier. This article will describe how the Internet of Things could benefit the hospitality industry and why hotel executives should consider implementing more IoT devices within their properties.

What Is the IoT? 

Think of the IoT as a vast connected network where devices and appliances have the ability to communicate with each other and transfer data. Examples of these devices might range from energy meters and refrigerators through to gigantic machines and vehicles. Essentially, the IoT can turn ‘’dumb’’ devices into ‘’smart’’ ones, which arecapable of transferring data and communicating with each other and with us. This can increase levels of automation, improve data collection, and allow humans to control multiple devices  from one singular point of interaction, even when you’re physically far away. 

What's in it for Hospitality? 

IoT is not a new concept for those who work within the hospitality industry. In fact, many hotel owners have already incorporated this technology into their businesses. IoT provides various benefits that are especially relevant to hotels. These benefits vary from delivering a more seamless customer experience to allowing companies to cut down their energy costs. Here are some examples of how IoT can improve the hospitality industry: 

Productivity Boost 

Automation is one of the most important business trends nowadays. From multinational corporations to solopreneurs, businesses are taking advantage of this technology to save their most valuable resource: time. You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘’Time is money.’’ Now, time is more precious than ever before. If you can help your employees save time by automating tasks , this will not only increase motivation but also efficiency. 

In-depth Customer Profiles

This is particularly appealing to B2C companies (online shops and retail stores alike) as IoT offers information about customers that wasn't available before such as preferences, routines, consumer and shopper patterns, and more. Even if your company is serving other businesses, the integration of IoT allows you to learn more about your customers and to anticipate their needs, providing services and products that respond to their particular backgrounds. In other words, data analysis and compilation are vital. Analytics not only allows you to learn more about how customers interact with technology, but also fosters the integration of new business models. 

Staff-less Hotels 

You can save a lot of money and boost revenue by reducing all the intermediaries in your hotel. When the hospitality industry implements IoT more closely, hotels owners will attract more guests and eventually lower costs. By doing this, they can improve the guest’s impression of the hotel and compel them to revisit the place. Also, they can employ human staff members for better customer engagement whenever the occasion arises. 

Improved Speed and Accessibility to Data

Since customers will have access to new forms of purchasing and research, the buying cycle will likely mitigate. Customers will, via voice control, be able to find and order the service or product they’re looking for, and demand a faster delivery appealing to their need for instant gratification.

Inventory Tracking and Management 

Much like with other industries, IoT will revolutionize how hotels manage and track their inventory. If you’re a business that relies on manufacturing, warehousing, or storage, you probably use remote devices to help your workers monitor the inventory item by item. Soon, smart devices will allow complete automation of inventory tracking and management, freeing your workers for more demanding tasks.

Increased Engagement Between the Hotel and Guests 

With IoT, hotels can better engage with their guests. For instance, they could offer virtual reality headsets in the room so that guests could check out nearby landmarks, restaurants, tourist destinations, and more to see if they'd be interested in going in person. Also, the IoT can be used to send real-time recommendations to guests according to their saved preferences. For example, news of a cafe, nearby beach, or a tourist attraction that they might like to visit.

Click here to view an infographic with 80 interesting statistics on the IoT.