HOTEL GUESTS: TODAY & TOMORROW

Hotel Marketing recently released a story about the profile of the current incarnation of the “plugged-in” traveler. The statistics were not completely unsurprising, but
- Work/Life Blend: 90 percent say work overlaps with personal time; 73 percent take work home; and 46 percent admit to taking care of personal matters at work

- Multi-tasking: When working at home, they’re also watching TV (71 percent), surfing the Web (59 percent), eating (64 percent), and making calls (59 percent)

- Self-Service: 68 percent print their boarding passes before going to the airport; and 63 percent use an airport kiosk to check in

- On My Own: More than 60 percent agree that when they travel for business, they enjoy the time to themselves.

- Productivity: Half of travelers always look to maximize productivity on the road and 65 percent end up working more hours

- Comfort: 1 in 4 travelers would drive 20 miles out of their way for a hotel “dream” bed, and 62 percent are bothered when there is no place to sit and relax in the room.

- Food: Travelers are frustrated by limited choices (59 percent), availability of healthy choices (43 percent) and lack of 24/7 food access (43 percent) .

- Entertainment: Travelers resent outdated hotel entertainment systems (44 percent).

Last week, some colleagues and I traveled to Eindhoven, Holland to meet with some representatives from Philips about their recent entry into the hospitality market. I was unaware that Philips already are the industry leaders in hotel televisions commanding nearly 80% of the total market share. It was a very interesting visit as we were shown the process that both the technical members of the team and the design team go through when developing products specifically for hotels, restaurants, bars, and club; this includes lighting, ambient music, water, and what they call, “infotainment.” Unfortunately I was unable to take any photos, but I have included a few products that are particularly interesting in the design world.

Also, we heard from Modular, the daughter company of Philips specializing in design lighting fixtures. Modular works with many retailers and hospitality concepts around the world including Lamborghini and Diesel (the picture below is from Lamborghinis new $30,000,000 showroom in Las Vegas)

Jos Stuyfzand, Philips Design Director Ambient Experiences, will be speaking at Future Forum 08 about integration and technology to enhance user experiences.

Posted in Technology, Retail, Design & Art, Speaker, Latest FUTURE FORUM Releases |

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