Here are the top 5 key hospitality and digital trends you need to know for 2017. I scoured through all the articles on the web to give you the gist of it:)
1.Health
Veggie, vegan, low-fat, low-cal, gluten-free – these trends aren’t going anywhere, in fact people are becoming more and more conscious about what they’re putting in their bodies. Hotels need to offer quality alternatives with wholesome ingredients such as plant proteins and superfoods. How about a bowl of edamame upon arrival? Or as a snack in the bar? Or even as a turndown service…
2.Delivery
2016 saw the launch of Uber Eats in the UK, the rebrands of JustEat, Hungry House and Deliveroo and the growth of Jinn, Bevy and Feast. With Amazon now testing food delivery by drone, we cannot deny that the delivery revolution has only just begun and the industry needs to prepare. You need to think about everything from packaging (does it arrive to the customer with ‘in-house’ quality) to delivery times. It is not very cost effective for hotels, I know, but perhaps you should be more open to the idea of allowing outsourced in-room delivery? How about taking the orders in-house even? You give your guests a lot bigger choice and can still make money in the process. Similar to British Airways, who have recently replaced their in-flight meals with M&S sandwiches and salads to keep up with the Times.
3. Chatbots
The chatbot revolution is fast approaching from the East and will have a massive impact in the hospitality industry across many areas from finding somewhere to eat or stay, booking, getting customer feedback and even ordering. Whether you like it or not, the bots are here. They have been for a while now at the progressive chains near you as HotelSpeak points out.
4. Keeping It Real
In the over stimulated, over crowded digital space we are constantly craving for something that is real. We are more and more aware of curated content and crave information that is captured in the moment. This has led to the stratospheric rise of Snapchat throughout 2016 as well as the introduction of Instagram Stories and Facebook Live, which Zuckers is ploughing an obscene amount of cash into to get it off the ground. So instead of re-hashing 10 years old over-staged F&B promotion photos, give your younger staff a smart phone and let them rule the day. Or better even, upon arrival, give your guests an incentive to tell stories about you (see trend No1:)
5. Virtual / Augmented Reality
Virtual and/or Augmented reality are breaking into the mainstream as they are both highly engaging and highly shareable – two of the most valuable metrics we are bidding for in this noisy digital space. Augmented reality can work wonders for pre-opening hotels. Or how about layering your signature cocktails on top of your bar/pool frame?
Marta Warren 