The Mobility Challenge

The hyper-connected hospitality industry is finding novel ways to benefit from IoT by reducing costs and improving customer experience securely

- Vinita Bhatia

That hospitality is a connected industry is an undeniable reality. However, with Internet of Things (IoT) gaining ground, connectivity has been taken to yet another level. These devices and solutions offer services that are far more intelligent and offer a lot more value, not just to the customer, but also to the hotels.

Till a few years ago, when wearable and smart technology was just making their appearance, close to 40% of guests in upscale hotels had already started travelling with IoT devices. Today, in some properties, like W Goa, the percentage of guests carrying connected devices has gone up to almost 99%.

Talking about this, Munish Sharma, IT manager, W Goa said that there is an increasing trend where guests prefer to use their own devices for specific purposes. For example, they use their own portable PlayStation or other gaming devices as well as their own IP devices to enjoy TV programmes of their native country and movies-on-demand. With Netflix coming in and offering online streaming, the face of television has drastically changed and people have comfortably allowed this to become a part of their lives.

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES