second article

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With all the wireless technology; such as RFID or wireless internet sometimes the need for a strong reliable cable is over looked. When it all comes down to it wireless is still run off of a wire at some point.

The U.S. economy now has to shift from the Baby Boomers to the Gen X consumers that represent a 40 percent decrease in spenders. The upcoming Gen X consumer now spends more per trip than the Baby Boomers, even though the latter has more money. Travel spending by the Gen Xers has increased by 66 percent over the last five years versus 25 percent for the Boomers. Gen Xers are less brand loyal but more likely to pay for lifestyle extras. About 13 percent of U.S. homes have incomes over $100,000. These homes spend $3,649 per year on travel, 143 percent more than the national average. Gen X travelers are the best educated and most tech-savvy generation in history.

This brief discussion has only scratched the surface of just two forms of services and applications the Gen Xer will demand. These guests will want to leverage the use of their mobile devices while on site. They will be preparing for their visit via the Web before they arrive, expecting certain amenities to be waiting for them. They will want specific advertising vehicles designed just for them, and will throw out all of the other spam. They will want instantaneous relief for any shortcoming they might experience. They will want to bring their children and have one hotel suite entertain them all. Their travel will be more a mix of leisure and business. They will want to impose their technology into the guestroom.


In the next decade, the ratio of business to leisure traveler will lean more heavily toward leisure. However, unlike in the past, it will be the leisure traveler that will put more burden on hotel technology. This new traveler will spend more on travel, more on lifestyle extras. Globally, it is entertainment that is the 800-pound gorilla when it comes to revenues from this type of spending. Entertainment will continue to be the biggest revenue source in the future. The Gen Xer is going to spend money on content and media somewhere in his travels; the smart hotelier will enable that guest to spend it in their hotel.

I find it interesting that in the next decade it is predicted that the ratio of business to leisure travelers will lean towards the leisure travel. Working in the hotel industry I notice that the occupancy is considerably higher durring the week when business travelers are staying at my hotel. It could be the market of downtown Wilmington that produces those numbers. I agree that when you are looking at a technology for your hotel you need to take into account the longevity of the technology. Also you want to be the "leading edge" as opposed to the "bleeding edge" of new technological trends in the industry.

RFID - What are you doing with it?

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a technology that is slowing making it's way into the hotel industry. RFID is already being used globally from Las Vegas to Germany to Chicago in retail, tollways, and the automobile industry. Keyless entry uses RFID technology. The EZPass is a RFID device. It is more than just a new technology to the hotel field. RFID represents solutions to commonly faced problems throughout the industry. RFID tags can be used to track inventory, people, uniforms and of course as an alternative to magnetic strip keycards. A casino in Las Vegas is using RFID pourers on liquor to track amount poured, brand, and time. This works from up to 100 feet away. The hotel has already seen a decrease in liquor shrinkage as well as an increase in the ease and accuracy of reordering. One hotel in Chicago is using RFID technology to communicate with guests. When a group of people possessing RFID devices pass by monitors they receive personalized information. RFID devices can also be used to tag items such as bell carts, room service trays, or even guest packages that arrive days ahead of the guests. Initially, the main use of this technology within the hotel industry would be as a substitute for guest room keys. Online checkin via your i-phone would be possible, then you would use your iphone as your room key and have no need to stop by the front desk.

I find this very promising. No longer are the days of keys expiring in the middle of a guests stay, and the guest needing to come to the front desk to obtain a new key. Also, many hotels say that they have “express checkin” or (online check-in), however, they still have to come by the front desk and obtain a key or show some sort of identification. The process may be sped up somewhat but it is still far from being as speedy as advertised. With RFID technology, the middleman can be cut out. Often times when guests use luggage carts they fail to bring them back to the lobby. They either leave them in the room or in the hallway and they aren’t available for the next guest. With RFID tags on the luggage carts the staff can quickly locate them and put the carts back in circulation. RFID could very well serve as a tool to aide in inventory management. High end items such as refrigerators and televisions can be tagged with the RFID devices so that the hotel staff is alerted when such items are removed from guest rooms. I see a lot of promise in this technology within our industry. The increased efficiency this technology will provide should make not only the guests life easier but the employees as well.