The latest statistics show that 2016 has been the most profitable year in the hospitality industry so far, with a global revenue growth estimated at over $550 billion by the end of the year. It’s safe to say that this is good news for the hoteliers, but this growth in hospitality revenues is directly related with the guests’ demands and needs.
All in all, these demands open a new development and innovation direction for hotels that need to be open to change. The hotel trends for 2016 regard the development of new technologies and innovative hotel solutions, as well as new marketing practices. Adopting these hotel trends will make the difference between a competitive hotel on the saturated hospitality market and consequently on its income. This is why we believe it’s important to bring the latest hotel trends for 2016 to your attention.
Discover the Latest Hotel Trends of 2016!
# 1 Welcome to the mobile hotel era
Studies show that 3 out of 4 tourists said that using their smartphones while traveling is crucial. Even more, 1 out of 3 admitted that they use their mobile phone more when they travel, compared to when they stay at home. The hi-tech and hi-touch hotel experiences are seeing more and more popularity in 2016, with the rising number of tourists who use mobile devices and apps.
This trend can have beneficial consequences for hotels if they are willing to embrace the innovative solutions to meet this new demand. First off, the hoteliers will have the chance to create personalized or even ultra-personalized services for their guests. For this, we have created the Senso Touch solution, that allows the hotel guest to control room access, lights, thermostat, DND (do not disturb) and MRC (make room clean) functions directly from their smartphone.
# 2 Online Integrated Hotel Software
Until recently, hoteliers were obliged to use multiple separated software solutions for the smooth running of hotel operations. For instance, separate reservation systems, guest management systems, e-mail solutions and so on. For this, we have developed the first complete hospitality solution on the Romanian market, namely Senso Smart Touch. Senso Smart Touch is the 100% online hotel system that allows you to operate the most important room functionalities from the reception and it is fully integrated in the Calirom hotel management system.
With Senso Smart Touch you will be able to:
- Control the room functionalities online from the reception
- Have a complete hotel management software
- Enjoy the Calirom server system
- Have more control with real-time operations reports
- Connect it with fully compatible smart apps developed by Calirom
- Optional fully compatible add-on functions
- Enjoy high-end touch screen equipment with luxurious finishing that are custom made
The times when hotel information was stored on large servers that used a lot of space and needed a lot of maintenance are long gone. Cloud functions for hotel software data storage are now the new thing, due to the possibilities they bring to the hotel. The cloud solutions for data storage are more secure and reliable, because they reduce the costs of security maintenance.
Our dedicated solution for data storage and protection, Senso Recovery Cloud is specially developed to meet the hotel needs and trends for 2016.
# 3 Dynamic Rate Marketing, the New Hotel Marketing Strategy
In short DRM, this new marketing practice represents the future of hotel marketing strategies, as experts in the field claim. DRM emerged in order to suit the tourists’ demand for access to real-time hotel rates, updated and clear. This type of marketing has already been used by the largest tourism or booking websites like TripAdvisor, Google Hotel Finder and HPA, Kayak.com or Trivago.
The result?
More efficient marketing campaigns and a rapid growth in online bookings directly on the hotel’s website. In other word: more income for the hotel. In order to support the new hospitality marketing directions, we have designed InfoStream, a revolutionary concept on the Romanian market, but also abroad. This solution is specially created to allow the hotel guest to fully benefit from all the facilities and services the hotel has to offer, using a mobile app. At the same time, InfoStream helps the hotelier get to know its clients better and thus, offer each one of them a fully personalized experience.
In conclusion, the latest hotel trends for 2016 speak of an upgrade in hotel software and and consumer-facing technology solutions for the new emerging type of tourists who use mobile devices, and have a different purchase behavior.