Suppliers Roundtable: In room technology

Teleadapt?s new MediaHub Mini device is a Bluetooth pairing point for wireless music play that also allows high-current USB charging and HDMI video.

Q: How big an impact has in-room technology had on the Middle East hospitality market?
Isabella Dumas: The impact of in-room tech has been huge in the new markets it has created, while at the same time it has been small in the sense that guests expect it , so hardly notice it. It’s important to remember the lifestyle guests have, they are assisted by technology everywhere they go, and it is odd for them to have to stop that as they enter their hotel room.

Rahul Salgia: In-room technology has already had a tremendous impact and influence on shaping the guest experience in luxury hotels. In the Middle East, there is a lot of competition in the luxury segment, with technology playing a key role in creating a key difference between competing hotels.

Jason Jeffery: In-room technology is having a considerable impact worldwide, and the Middle East is no exception. Hoteliers are constantly trying to improve the guest experience, and have to be mindful of the costs associated with that. In-room tech also has a certain wow factor too, and hotels in the Middle East are always looking for the next best thing.

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Martin Chevalley: In-room technology has traditionally been passive, isolated and tedious, and only now are we seeing how technology can adapt to hotel guests, rather than trying to force the opposite. We are seeing how technology devices can be used from the TV to the handhelds, and we’re seeing what we’ve learnt to call e-commerce move in to the palm of the hands of hotel guests — a concept called h-commerce — for hotel commerce.

Petvin Fernandes: In-room technology adds real value to the guest experience. Today’s guests arrive with all their own electronics and gadgets and they need to stay connected. How much a hotel is capable of catering to its guests’ technological needs is now as important as the quality of food and a well-appointed room.

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