Did you know that the hotel industry generals between $400 billion and $500 billion in revenue each year? Or that one-third of that revenue is attributable to the United States? There is a lot of money to be made in the hotel industry; but where there is money, there is competition. Lots of people feel that one of the main issues with hotels is a lack of technology. Yes, of course, hotels today almost always have to use some degree of technology in terms of booking guests and ensuring that they check in and out on time. But what does that really do for the guests’ actual experiences? Very little. Many people who stay in hotels frequently are willing to pay more for a better experience, and the happier a customer is with his or her experience, the more likely he or she will be to return to the same hotel — or at least a hotel within the same chain. This is customer loyalty, something that hotels in particular need to pursue. It’s estimated that building loyalty with 5% more customers leads to an average profit between 25% and 100% more per customer. Below, we’ll look into how hotels can build customer loyalty — particularly by paying attention to the latest trends in hotel industry technology.

Reaching Out To Potential Customers Online

Perhaps one of the most important of the latest trends in hotel industry technology is the manner in which hotels are courting potential customers online. This may seem to be a fairly simple part of hotel technology, but is important. You won’t increase customer loyalty without attracting customers in the first place, after all. Hotels that want to seem worth the money in the first place should ideally include promotional videos, as well as descriptions of the sights and luxuries available at their particular locations — of course. But perhaps more importantly, they should advertise the technology conveniences that come with staying with them versus other hotels. This could include mobile booking — that is, booking that can be done through cell phones and other mobile devices. Mobile bookings make staying at a hotel much more convenient for the typical customer. Another great thing about mobile bookings is that they can be done while a person is on the go — therefore, if a person is doing a last-minute booking, they’re more likely to do it on a mobile device. Mobile bookings can also potentially save a customer’s information, and make a repeat booking much easier.

Engaging With Technology In Hotel Rooms

When it comes to their actual rooms, customers who pay a premium in particular expect a lot of the latest trends in hotel industry technology. With an estimated three out of four travelers planning a getaway weekend this winter, that’s a lot of people who don’t just want a hotel room that is a place to sleep, but a place that is genuinely relaxing and yes, entertaining. Some of the latest trends in hotel industry technology rely around technology in hotel rooms. This includes having flat screen TVs on hand, as well as coffee makers, and of course, WiFi. WiFi is hugely important for hotel guests in this day and age, as most need it to keep in touch with what is going on with their work. Perhaps the most important of all types of hotel technology, WiFi is actually fairly simple to get — hotels just need to make sure that it’s consistently available to their customers in order to ensure customer loyalty.

Using Technology To Make Reservations Easier

Hotel guests wants reservations to be simple and easy, especially if they’re repeat guests. Luckily, hotel reservations software can do just that. Some of the best hotel management software revolves around reservations. Different types of hotels — such as bed and breakfasts — might require different types of reservation software. Reservation software is more reliable than recording reservations manually, and for that matter tends to be much easier to manage.