iPad: Hotel hype or help?
(I have to say, I think this is one of the best applications/uses for the new iPad; the other being real estate! Can you imagine having jogging/running courses around your hotel ready to share with your guests – or having the concierge have the ability to share the screen with a guest, showing the location, menu, prices, photo of restaurants and other attractions! Great opportunities – probably better than just for consumers… bc)
More than a week after its release, the techno-pundits and early adopters are mixed in their reactions to the iPad, Apple’s slick touch-screen tablet computer. Within the hotel sector, consultants and operators believe the gadget will serve a practical purpose.
Ask Charles Yap, and he will tell you it’s the buzz and the utility that makes the iPad interesting.
As director of global brand communications for InterContinental Hotels Group, Yap is aware of both the buzz surrounding Apple’s newest gizmo as well as the capabilities of its intuitive interface.
“It’s something that’s fun. It’s something that the world has been waiting for,” he said. “It’s making the concierge more personable.”
That’s according to initial results he’s seen at four IHG properties throughout the world, at which the concierge teams are test-driving the iPad for a possible broad-scale rollout.
It’s certainly going well so far, Yap said. The use of the device has sparked interest among guests, who are approaching the concierge in greater droves to see the iPad in action as they ask for dinner recommendations, view maps and turn-by-turn directions, or watch proprietary videos highlighting hotel amenities and area attractions.
The concierges, in turn, aren’t chained behind their desks. The iPad’s portable nature (it measures 9.56 inches high, 7.47 inches wide and 0.5 inches deep and weighs 1.5 pounds) allows them to easily walk around the lobby floor while still being able to access the information they need with the touch and swipe of a finger.
And unlike the implementation of other technologies, which can take weeks or months of staff training, the iPad was in the hands of the concierges as soon as Yap returned from an Atlanta Apple store on the day of its release.