News

Hotel self-service gains momentum

December 11, 2003

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Time is precious to business travelers, which explains why major hotel chains around the nation are testing ways to speed customers from the front door to their rooms, and out again.

According to an article in The Mercury News, advocates promise this new technology -- touchscreen kiosks, small portable computers, and off-site baggage checks -- will reduce waiting time. But only time will tell if customers will embrace the devices as great conveniences, or reject them as gimmicks.

Hotels and other service providers are looking to make the whole process as easy as possible, said Craig Mateer in the article. Mateer is president of an Orlando, Fla.-based company that is testing a system that allows airline passengers to check their bags through from a hotel to the airport far in advance of their flight. See related story, "Travel industry getting act together."

Kiosks seem to be the hot item, as several chains are running tests to see if guests are willing to bypass the personal touch at the front desk in favor of a quicker check-in and check-out. Marriott is among those in test mode, with trials under way at two hotels, including the one at Newark Liberty International Airport and near Washington, D.C.

Saving time is "absolutely critical,"' ranking right after security in what's important to guests, said Jim Gard, vice president of marketing services for Prime Hospitality Corp., a Fairfield-based company that owns, manages, and franchises 247 North American hotels.

The Hilton Hotel Corp. brought kiosks to the forefront of the amenities competition in September when it announced it would begin testing them in New York and Chicago.

Those trials are scheduled to begin in January, but kiosk tests are already under way at Sheraton Hotels in Boston and New York and Marriotts in Newark and Washington.

Even as the kiosk trials take place, Prime is testing a wireless check-in system at its Raddison Hotel in Secaucus, N.J., Gard said. Customers can use personal hand-held computers, to check in before they arrive at the hotel, and stop at the front desk only to pick up the key.