Although Tropical Storm Bill brought gray skies and heavy rainfall to a usually sunny Austin, Texas, during this week’s Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference (HITEC) 2015, the mood inside the Austin Convention Center was anything but gloomy. When Jeremy Gutsche, New York Times bestselling author and founder of TrendHunter, delivered his opening keynote, he urged attendees to resist the status quo and take risks to innovate.
“The average lifespan of a Fortune 500 company used to be 75 years. Now, it’s 15 years,” Guschte told the crowd. With that statistic, Guschte emphasized that most successful innovation happens by making connections between fields that other people don’t realize. Business-as-usual doesn’t always inspire the most successful ideas.
Attendees seemed to take Guschte’s message to heart. Over the next several days, more than 70 companies unveiled new products, software and other innovations. While the array of announcements was diverse, several themes emerged. Here is a roundup of several innovations announced at this year’s HITEC:
Race to customize
The trend of customization is continuing to gain speed in the hospitality industry. Microsoft launched the prototype of its Connected Room concept, providing guests with personalized features and convenience. Microsoft developed the concept in partnership with Intel, Teknikos and Technovation, and also created a voice-activated solution built on Windows 10. With Connected Room, guests can control the room’s thermostat, order in-room dining, set wake-up calls and more.
“On average, a typical hotel guest will spend about 12 minutes figuring out the thermostat, light switches, TV controls and how to find hotel amenities,” explained Greg Jones, managing director of worldwide hospitality and travel for Microsoft. “The Connected Room is designed to streamline that process.”
The mobile room key
In a response to increasing buzz around the mobile room key, Assa Abloy Hospitality introduced its mobile access app, giving hotels the ability to implement mobile access without custom app creation or complex integrations. Hotels can choose from a generic version of the app or a more customized version that can be integrated into the hotel’s existing app.
“The solution was designed to provide a guest experience that is convenient, secure and time-saving,” said Gard Gabrielsen, global product director at Assa Abloy. “Our mobile access app is the guest’s first encounter with the keyless solution and clearly leads travelers through each step of the process, from downloading a single app to registration and room entry.”
The app can be used on Bluetooth-equipped mobile devices and will be available for download in iTunes and Google Play within the next several months.
Bandwidth as a basic essential
Earlier this month, Marriott International’s Marriott Hotels brand partnered with Netflix to allow guests staying at select properties to subscribe to Netflix or sign into their existing accounts via the Netflix app on the hotel’s Internet-connected guestroom televisions. The partnership resulted in growing Internet bandwidth demand in order to support the increased usage.
Nomadix, which already serves an estimated 75% to 85% of Marriott properties, launched the AG 5900 Internet access gateway in order to support bandwidth demands for medium- to large-sized hotels as well as convention centers, airports and stadiums. The scalability of the AG 5900 supports anywhere from 300 to 8,000 simultaneous devices without any required change of hardware or software design.
“Today, bandwidth needs to be considered as essential as working electricity and running water,” said Fred Reeder, CEO of Nomadix. “Being able to deliver on the promise of fair and fast Internet access builds guest loyalty and satisfaction.”