A great deal of hotels are offering their clients some added benefits so they don't need to pick up their phones, nor stand in queues after they check in. And that's by installing iPads not just in the guest rooms in the hotel, but even in public spaces like lobbies or lounges.
Aloft Hotels (Starwood's): The hotel industry giant's mid-range Aloft chain signed a proposal to setup mounted iPads (powered by Intelity) in hotel chain's lobbies. Intelity spokesperson Phil Schwartz said that these tablets at the moment are available in Aloft locations in Austin, Charlotte, Phoenix, as well as Chennai, India. The lobby iPads can assist guests so that they don’t need to wait in lines for concierge services, especially at peak periods.
Kimpton's range of boutique hotels: This "boutique" hotel operator based in San Francisco presented iPad kiosks inside the lobbies last fall.
The iPads enable guests to perform a number of tasks, which includes reading through nightclub and restaurant suggestions coming from hotel staff; sharing photographs of their vacation; finding out about hotel information like the timings of evening wine hour, as well as printing out their boarding tickets prior to going to the airport.
Hilton Worldwide's high-end Conrad hotels: Several of the twenty Conrad hotels worldwide stock the rooms with iPads intended for guests. Intelity's Schwartz said that one can find them inside the suites in the Indianapolis and Lower Manhattan Conrad locations.
A while back, the chain revealed an app that'll connect the personal iPads of Conrad guests to every hotel service available at Conrad hotels, globally. The guests will have the ability to reserve a hotel room or spa treatment along with restaurant booking from the Conrad located in Chicago at the hotel in Miami.
Lex 48 (Hyatt) in New York: There are three iPads intended for guests which are placed in the Lex 48's lounge. Director of the hotel, Deirdre Yack, said that iPads are often wiped clean by the lounge staffers. According to him, it's actually a fantastic substitute for the business center, since guests may bring these to their rooms, or just unwind in the lounge.
The Revere Hotel, Boston: The General Manager of the hotel, Simon Mais, informed that the area nearby the concierge desk had been kept vacant especially to place wall-mounted set of iPads when this hotel launched in April.
By January, six iPads were wall-mounted and special software is installed. The guests use them to get local information, find out restaurant recommendations, look for directions, or print the flight boarding pass.
Mais said that the concierge is really busy and clients can easily reduce waiting in queue by at least beginning to explore the answer to their particular queries on the iPad. He further mentions that people from other countries who can't speak English will not be left out because the software is accessible in six different languages.
SLS Hotel, South Beach, Miami: The guests notice an iPad in each room beside their beds at the SLS Hotel (South Beach), that opened last summer alongside the famous Delano. Installed software helps guests get in touch with the hotel. They are able to order bottle of wine, make a reservation at "The Bazaar" that's a restaurant by renowned chef - Jose Andres, or ask for the car from valet.
What are top 3 activities of travelers while using the hotel's iPads?
The hospitality technology firm, Intelity, that operates iPad devices in around 120 hotels, researched exactly how the hotel guests utilized these systems during the last two years. The three purposes revealed:
1. Requesting the room service (41%)
2. Asking for wake-up calls (21%)
3. Ordering housekeeping (7%)
Previously last year, the Hotel Check-In revealed how the luxury Hotel Bel-Air located in Beverly Hills identified that iPads transformed the way in which guests ordered room service. Nowadays, the majority of requests come in through the guestroom's iPad rather than the outdated guestroom telephone.
Further more, the top three non-hotel-service functions are surfing online, checking out their messages, and looking for information regarding their hotel.