Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates in Dubai has taken the brave step of implementing a number of technology firsts for the region, relating to connectivity, mobility and efficiency
Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates in Dubai recently set about introducing a number of technological innovations to drive guest satisfaction and operational efficiency.
The results are a digitally-enhanced check-in experience, a greener environment and an international hotel technology innovation award.
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The hotel’s director of information technology Prasanna Rupasinghe tells Hotelier more about each initiative and the reasoning behind them.
Rational and Objective
“Hotels have a number of common challenges that impact the guest experience. Some of these include internet bandwidth, poor or insufficient wireless coverage, time-consuming check-in and check-out processes, lack of guest information on the go, and slow operations in different areas of the business,” Rupasinghe explains.
Connectivity
One of the first steps taken to tackle these complaints was to ensure that guests could connect to the wireless internet on any device they may be carrying.
This led to one of the most challenging projects the hotel undertook; to eliminate “bottlenecks” in hotel High Speed Internet Access (HSIA). The hotel created a partnership with local ISP provider Du to implement “on-the-fly, burstable” internet based on real-time demand from guests, said to be the first of its kind in the region.
This innovative approach allows the hotel to fully tailor its internet offering to the guests’ needs, including guaranteed dedicated bandwidth for conferences and in-house guests. While basic internet access will remain complimentary, premium access can now be purchased on a usage basis.
Mobility
Another new initiative for the region was to shift from fixed reception desk operations to wireless tablets and mobile devices offering check-in, check-out and guest services at the location of the guest’s preference.
“Opera2Go, the mobility module of the hotel’s property management system, went live with a beta version at the end of October last year and has already received very positive feedback from guests.
Through tablet devices employees can now wirelessly connect to instantly respond to guest queries while on the go and manage a guest’s check-in and check-out with much greater efficiency,” explains Rupasinghe.
In 2013, as part of the mobility solution through Opera2Go, the team will launch a key encoding facility and integrated credit-card payment through mobile devices.
The focus on mobility also led to the introduction of iPads in some of the hotel’s restaurants including the recently re-opened Aspen by Kempinski lobby lounge. At 1897 Bar, the iPads feature menus containing images of the food available as well as videos on how to make cocktails and light a cigar.
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