Everything is evolving with technological advancements continuously changing the way that people live their lives. In this age, people are all about comfort – services that focus on their comfort and convenience. At the 2017 ALIS Conference, we had a chance to meet with Guy Langford, Vice Chairman and US leader of the Travel, Hospitality, and Leisure industry at Deloitte to tell us about the hotel of the future.
The hotel of the future will have the newest technology and innovation. There will always be the next best gadget but there is so much more than that. Frequent travelers will feel loyalty to a hotel that knows the reasons why they travel and deliver a personal experience. Many hotels are being challenged to move beyond their brand identity and to extend a relationship with their clients brought on by the changes of the era.
The Conrad, Maldives.
But how can they evolve their hotel brands? What opportunities are there that can help them meet their customers’ demands and expectations for a more personal hotel experiences? A futurist identified key integrations that customers will expect from the hotel of the future. Even with the evolving technology, customer preferences, and the competitive threats, hospitality will always be about customer experience – connecting with people.
THE CURATOR
On that note, the hotel of the future’s new role to play is to provide their guests with memorable experiences – unique and tailored to what every guest expect from them every time they stay in that hotel. First, the hotel will act as a curator providing environment supporting any kind of mindset or mood that the guest wants.
THE MATCHMAKER
Apart from integrating experience, the hotel of the future’s role is to integrate people. A matchmaker extends and deepens relationships with guests by creating a culture around the brand and allowing the brand to be defined by the network of guests. Matchmakers draw on the current strengths of hotels—like space and hospitality—to build a compelling network of guests that attract more business.
Crystal Palace, Baccarat Hotel, New York.
THE NEIGHBOR
As an active participant of the community, the hotel of the future is a great neighbor that helps the community grow by integrating global brands with the local cultures. The hotel becomes a meeting place for locals to interact with world travelers.
THE ARCHITECT
Additionally, what makes the hotel of the future entirely different is that it is an integrator of spaces. Unlike the hotels of today, the hotel of the future maximizes and repurposes assets and spaces. Instead of a hotel being just a single building with a single purpose, the hotel of the future will maximize its spaces for multi-purpose usage.
THE CHOREOGRAPHER
The choreographer focuses on everything but physical space and real estate assets. It’s the virtual concierge and the logistics guru. The choreographer integrates services and businesses to act as the nexus of the travel industry—and delivers a seamless and convenient experience for the business traveler.
The hotel of the future is more about people – the employees, the guests and the locals. It acts as a center of the community where the guests’ expectations and personal demands are delivered in high fashion while at the same time the community and its people grow together with the hotel – this is the future of hotels.
La Mamounia, Morocco.
For more information, visit Deloitte and attend the ALIS conference.