Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 50 | Page 49

COUNTRY FOCUS: KUWAIT may initially visit a location and extend it to turn it to a holiday. Other trends that are influencing the hospitality sectors would definitely be robots; some hotels have introduced a robot concierge service while others are entirely robot-staffed. It is a very interesting concept as these machines are often equipped with Artificial Intelligence. They can be used to carry out complex tasks and, of course, improve customer interactions. For me, Virtual Reality is going to be the biggest game changer. The whole idea of using technology to digitally alter an entire surrounding, and using that technology as an experience to allow guests to have a www.intelligentcio.com “ SOME HOTELS HAVE INTRODUCED A ROBOT CONCIERGE SERVICE WHILE OTHERS ARE ENTIRELY ROBOT- STAFFED. digital version of their hotel rooms before booking, is simply mind blowing. I think today operators are looking for a smart hotel having seamless connectivity across platforms and devices, e.g. smart rooms which automatically adjust to brightness, temperatures etc. Another example would be mobile check-ins and digital concierge services. What are the latest advances in technology that have enhanced experiences of your customers? Today, with technology, bookings for rooms or any other hotel services can be done on mobile devices. A customer can compare INTELLIGENTCIO 49