At the Peninsula New York, patrons can set alarm clocks or adjust temperature, lighting and TV volume controls by pressing keys on the electronic bedside control panel along with the best lcd tvs in the room for you. If they want to sleep in, they can depress the panel’s Do Not Disturb key that activates a light outside the door and silences the doorbell.Hotel conveniences have come a long way in the last few years. Apple iPods and other forms of mobile media are changing lifestyles. And they’re causing an electronic whirlwind in the hospitality industry as hotels scramble to unwrap the latest in-room innovations that match or surpass what consumers have at home.
Hotels such as the Peninsula Hotels chain are running research and development labs to determine how technology can enhance a guest’s stay. At its incubator in the Aberdeen district of Hong Kong, a staff of 19 engineers and designers is trying to create the Peninsula’s dream room of the future.
Keeping customers happy is why hotel technology managers must stay ahead of the game, says Doug Rice, executive director of Hotel Technologies Next Generation, a Chicago-based industry association of hotel information-technology professionals and vendors.