There was no wall of 64 iPads at this year’s HITEC, held this week in Minneapolis.
Instead of guest-facing wows, new offerings at this iteration of the annual hotel technology convention were focused on under-the-hood improvements as vendors showcased updated versions of existing products as well as hardware and software integration.
“Tablet technology has matured and tablets are seeing a lot of improved apps compared to last year, while mobile technology is generating more and more integration with property management systems,” said Derek Wood, managing director of Derek Wood Associates, Bristol, England, and member of the HFTP board of directors.
On the software side, the further integration of big data remains an area where hospitality technology vendors are innovating, including integrating data from the silos created by disparate cloud systems.
Likewise vendors have also prioritized integrating technology hardware. New developments include a prototype to integrate Internet access hardware by unifying several devices in one, offering IP over coaxial cable for televisions to save on installation costs, providing for less intrusive and expensive installation of RFID door locks and allowing for guests to connect their devices to alarm clock stereos and televisions wirelessly using Miracast or Bluetooth.
“Getting existing systems to work together better, that was a focus,” said Robert Cole, hotel technology consultant and founder of RockCheetah, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. “Not a lot of innovative wows but more under the hood stuff. Good stuff but not as sexy.”
In terms of sales volume, various vendors told HOTELS that while there were less leads than at the previous two HITECs, the leads were stronger.