Luxury Hoteliers Magazine 3rd Quarter 2017 | Page 55

If hoteliers need a powerful reminder to prepare for the future, nothing does the trick better than a quick glance at the past. Airbnb. Uber. Square. iPads and iPhones. A mere decade ago, these technology products and services didn’t even exist. Yet, today, they not only play a central role in our lives, they’ve practically transformed our daily existence. Just imagine then what the next 10 years might bring. With the digital revolution only accelerating its pace, it is inevitable that our industry will be engulfed by waves of emerging technologies. But rather than cringe at the disruption they will usher, hoteliers must embrace the coming forces of change, adopt innovations that deliver meaningful benefits, and offer new experiences that cater to guests’ ever-changing demands. To help in that pursuit, Oracle Hospitality commissioned Hotel 2025, a major industry report surveying consumers and operators about emerging technologies destined to reshape our business. Their responses provided insights about these innovations, including anticipated rate of adoption, potential impact and related fears – real and imagined – that need to be allayed. Among the topics Hotel 2025 explored: artificial intelligence, biometrics/facial recognition, robotics, voice activation, wearable technology, virtual reality, driverless transportation and smart hotel design. ILHA 55