With technology evolving, the hospitality industry is also making a shift – for the better. Below are a few technologies that are poised to change how customers transact with hotels.
Point of Sale in the Hotel Industry
Voice Ordering
Tapping into voice ordering technology is set to bring you better convenience opportunities while in the restaurant. In addition, the tech also brings about better integration between the establishment and in-car infotainment systems. In a couple of years, expect to see them coming in of voice ordering technology that allows you to communicate using an app in your car infotainment system. Already, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are playing a leading role in improving and evolving your quality of experience. Fast-casual restaurants and drive-thrus will likely build on this technology for verifying customers, payments and improving loyalty experience.
Digital Identity and Authentication
Biometrics is constantly improving and becoming a frictionless technology. For example, Face ID that’s executed by Apple has proven biometrics are even more convenient. With always-on biometric authentication, you can leave the restaurant once you’ve had your meal knowing that payment has automatically occurred without checking in with a staff or some physical terminal. However, due to the security and infrastructure requirements, expect the technology to take about five years before full integration. NFC and EMV chip use cases involve lots of intricacies, but certificate-based payment methods will be introduced eventually.
Retailing On-The-Go
Self-driving and electric cars are not a new concept anymore, and car companies are already hinting at some incredible opportunities by around 2020 to 2025. In fact, by 2040, Loup Ventures claims that about 90 percent of cars in the market will be fully autonomous. Such advancements also mean exciting opportunities for the hospitality industry. For example, gas cars require about five minutes for refueling, a process that doesn’t offer the client much time for browsing. However, electric cars take about 15 to 30 minutes to charge, presenting an extended period for restaurateurs to get in front of the customer. You will most likely sit down for a meal instead of grabbing a snack, creating opportunities for hotels that want to attract a captive audience. Plus, the hospitality industry is also set to benefit from the cloud connection of electric cars. Very soon, you will be able to authenticate all your purchases thanks to your car. Moreover, there is an extended ability to identify a person and vehicle through a pre-existing profile for faster and seamless payments. For instance, Tesla already has a car that acts as the user’s interface!
Augmented Reality
In a few years, you will see a marked increase in the use of Augmented Reality (AR) in the hospitality industry, especially via location services and programming technologies like Papertrail. Through AR, hotel managers and restaurant owners can route customers to specific destinations for order pickup, queuing, or even hotel check-ins. Customers will even be able to see menu items in food trucks, thanks to AR capabilities.
Conclusion
POS systems have considerably progressed and will continue to become more frictionless and adept. In the next era, you can expect better and newer experience levels in the hotel industry. In fact, the future is all about pushing innovation boundaries – anytime, anywhere.
