Salter Brothers talk Technology Innovation at Australasian Hotel Conference, AHICE
The second day of AHICE, the largest hotel conference in Australasia, opened with an executive panel of hotel owners discussing the topic of ‘What Owners Want’.
Representing Salter Brothers, Asset Manager Gary Lopez spoke ofthe importance of technology innovation within the hotel landscape, and how this can enhance the guest experience while systematically increasing restaurant and bar spend per available room.
Australia, New Zealand and Japan continue to hold the title of best occupancy markets in the world, offering an opportunity to drive strong incremental revenue through technology.
Introducing the AirService Guest Experience Tablet
One such technology is AirService, a revolutionary Guest Experience Tablet (GET) that replaces the phone, room service, compendium and alarm clock function within a hotel room. Guests are able to order meals through the tablet with accompanying imagery, subsequently competing with dining options external to the hotel. Guests can also access tourism information, live weather forecasts and other enquiries that relieve pressure from Front Office employees.
“The average hotel guest books their hotel online, orders an Uber to the airport and checks in on the way. From there, they interact with airline technology, only to arrive to the hotel to have an analogue experience, ” said Gary Lopez.
InterContinental Melbourne the Rialto first to adopt AirService technology
Salter Brothers partnered with AirService in 2018, recognising the extent to which AirService was revolutionising food and beverage service for enterprise hospitality.
Guests travelling for leisure or work are not willing to sacrifice convenience or flavour. With a disruptive societal shift towards ordering from external food delivery services, hotel operators must look to insert themselves in that pattern and bring their restaurants and bars to the devices of its guests, particularly given their captivated market of some 200-400 rooms.
As global fund managers with hotel properties across Australia, Salter Brothers’ partnership with AirService was one born of collaboration and industry insight. In a first to market move, guest rooms at Intercontinental Melbourne the Rialto are fitted with the AirService tablet, allowing for another channel to communicate with guests and leverage purchase opportunities.
Tineyi Matanda, Investment Manager at Salter Brothers said the results to date have been outstanding with 90% of guests engaging with the tablet during their stay at InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto.