Study shows the technologies that hoteliers will be investing in the most in 2018 are those found in the Intelity Guest Service Platform
[Orlando, Fla. – February 28, 2018] — As hoteliers continue to cautiously increase IT budgets and place a higher priority on digital guest engagement in 2018, according to Hospitality Technology’s 2018 Lodging Technology Study, Intelity continues to develop new tools to meet hoteliers’ and guests’ demands. The developer of the world's first and most widely used integrated guest services platform will showcase its ICE (Interactive Customer Experience™) platform at HT-NEXT in San Diego, March 12 to 14. Of keen interest to attendees will be Intelity’s new ICEvoice solution (formerly called Voice Request) that uses Amazon's Alexa to enable hotel guests to talk to their room with voice-activated commands.
ICEvoice was developed in direct response to the industry’s demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and voice-enabled devices. The study asked hoteliers to identify which emerging technologies had the greatest potential to effect change in the industry. Seventy percent said AI and voice technology will deliver the most benefits because it “ties back to the hyper focus hotels are placing on getting customer lifecycle data.” Also in the study, Gartner reports that “by 2021, early adopter brands that redesign websites to support voice search will increase digital commerce revenue by 30%.”
ICEvoice, which is in the running for the HTNG 2018 TechOvations Award and will be presented by Intelity at HT-NEXT, acts as a virtual concierge, enabling guests to make requests, adjust room controls and more all with just a few simple voice commands. Voice Request also extends the power of voice command to the conference space. Meeting planners can conduct business with a constant connection to their staff through the tool. Voice Request examples in the meetings environment include: “Tell the hotel that we would like more coffee," “Tell the hotel that we would like more water," or “Tell the hotel that we need more chairs.”
“Each time new industry research is released, Intelity finds its solutions are perfectly aligned with industry demand generators,” said Gregg Hopkins, Intelity chief sales and marketing officer. “Although voice technology is just making inroads in hospitality, it’s eye-opening to see that nearly three-quarters of hoteliers surveyed already see it having a profound impact on guest service and engagement. Voice is just one technology identified by this study that is perfectly aligned with our solutions. Several others have been on the market for some time and quickly making traction as demand arises.”
According to the study, 19% of hoteliers’ plan to add a “personal concierge via mobile devices” this year. Soon, Intelity will announce the first ICEvoice roll out at two hotels that are part of an international brand of luxury hotels and resorts. ICEvoice is now live as part of the brands mobile concierge program.
Mobile & Personalized Marketing 
The 2018 Lodging Technology Study also shows that 57% of hoteliers’ plan to invest in technologies that “empower guests with mobile and personalized marketing experiences.” One of the best ways to engage today’s travelers is through a mobile app. The research shows that 39% of hoteliers’ plan to add or upgrade their existing customer mobile app in 2018, and 19% will invest in in-room tablets.
Intelity not only develops customer-facing mobile apps via ICEapp for hotels, but its ICEbedside solution maximizes a hotels connection to their guests through an in-room tablet. ICEbedside provides guests with greater control by giving direct digital access to hotel staff to request room service, housekeeping or set wake-up calls and the ability to set room preferences, revolutionizing a personalized guest experience.
Mobile Check-In/Out + Mobile Key An in-demand feature of today’s mobile hotel apps is enabling check-in/out and allowing guests to use their smartphones as mobile room keys. Forty-eight percent of survey participants said they plan to invest in a mobile app that facilitates mobile check-in/out, and 23 percent plan to invest in a mobile app that supports a mobile key.
MiKEY, a module of the Intelity Guest Service Platform, enables the Mobile Check-in, Mobile Check-out, and Mobile Key functionality that today’s hoteliers are looking for. Presented as a mobile app that is downloaded on a smart device (phone or tablet), guests can book a hotel, check-in remotely, skip traditional front-desk check in and use their smart device to securely unlock their room door. MiKEY integrates with a hotel’s existing Bluetooth Low Energy door locks to streamline the check-in experience. The transmitted key code is safely stored in a key vault on the mobile app. When a guest arrives at his or her room door, they touch the MiKEY icon within the app, and their personal digital key information is transmitted via Bluetooth over a secure communication channel to unlock the door.
“Intelity is fully entrenched in the mobile hospitality landscape,” Hopkins said. “We are listening to what hoteliers want and developing tools that guests need to enrich their stays and keep them coming back. As technology continues to dictate the experience guests expect and demand, Intelity stands ready to equip hoteliers with the tools they need to deliver on those experiences.”
