In-room technology trends and their implications for enhancing guest experiences and revenue

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a benchmark for hotel operators to understand in-room technology trends and the impact of in-room technology on business performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey questions are based on existing literature and suggestions from the American Hotel and Lodging Association Technology and E-commerce Committee. The authors collected 206 usable samples from managers, vice presidents, presidents, owners and executives from hotel companies and utilized cross-tab analysis and multiple regression analysis.

Findings

The results demonstrate that installing specific in-room technologies can have a significant effect on enhancing the customer experience and increasing revenue. The study also presents the most commonly installed in-room technologies those hoteliers plan to install in the near future.

Research limitations/implications

Proper strategies are recommended to help hospitality managers understand the impact of different in-room technologies on the hospitality industry; particularly as they relate to guest experience and profitability.

Originality/value

By identifying the most popular in-room technologies currently available and examining which in-room technologies can be effective at enhancing guest experience and increasing revenue, this study fills the gap between the findings of previous studies and the observations from industry practitioners.

Citation

Jung, S., (Sunny) Kim, J. and Farrish, J. (2014), "In-room technology trends and their implications for enhancing guest experiences and revenue", Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 210-228. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-11-2013-0035