"In-Room Innovations"

In Christina Volpe’s article, In-Room Innovations, she discusses the technological advances being integrated into hotel rooms throughout the hospitality industry. Although a short time ago technology such as flat screen TVs and wireless internet was thought of as lavish, households across America now consider it a basic necessity. This in result causes hoteliers to expand technological abilities in their hotels to meet the needs of their guests. Both ends of the spectrum have witnessed the need for technological advancement, from the most luxurious resorts to the economical motels and everywhere in between. High end hotels such as the City Center in Las Vegas, Nevada are outfitting their rooms with technology that allows the guest to control all aspects of their stay with just one remote control. This amenity potentially gives the guest full control over “their room’s lighting, temperature, TV, music, drapes and concierge services” without having to leave their bed.
This idea of full control lends itself to the entertainment side of the guest’s stay. The Kessler Collection chose to incorporate a technology, Roomlinx, in some of their hotels in order to give their guests control over all entertainment devices through one remote control. Accor North America caught on to this trend of expanding entertainment capabilities in their Motel 6 brand. The company added things such as flat screen TVs and hookups for MP3 players and other entertainment devices; however, they were also conscious of the need to remain cost-effective. Therefore, wireless internet can also be included for the price of $2.99 a day.
American households have more access to faster internet so hotels have felt the need to increase bandwidth. The Raymond Group has featured FatPipe into many of their hotels. This technology can redirect “traffic to available lines when a router of IPS goes down.” FatPipe allows the guests to use as much bandwidth they need if it is not being used. Once a new guest needs access, the current user’s bandwidth is cut back to its standard amount of two Mb.
Hotels across the nation have expanded their technological abilities to fit in with the continuously growing capabilities of households. Everything from temperature, entertainment and the internet have been simplified and made more efficient in response to guests growing needs.