The future of contactless hospitality: Balancing convenience with personalization

The fast pace development of the hospitality industry will result in contactless technology adoption, where we will see hotels and travel companies offering increased adoption of conveyor systems such as self-check-in kiosks and AI services for concierge services. This ameliorates the travel experience and safety, while at the same time adds a lot to operational efficiency. With convenience on everyone’s mind, the second challenge is retaining the personal aspect, which is a major draw of hospitality.

As the pandemic threat decreases, hotels still see growing demand for contactless experiences, as travelers no longer simply demand the same level of service, but now demand a frictionless experience reliant on technology.

The Rise of Contactless Hospitality

Around the world, the pandemic sparked a huge surge in demand for contactless experiences, pushing hotels and resorts to implement technological solutions like mobile check-in, digital keys and robotic room service.

As the pandemic threat decreases, hotels still see growing demand for contactless experiences, as travelers no longer simply demand the same level of service, but now demand a frictionless experience reliant on technology.

Industry studies find almost 70% of travelers prefer mobile check-in, and keyless room entry. Hotel chains responded to travelers’ demand by deploying apps that enable guests to manage their entire stay, from ordering room service to calling for housekeeping, without human interaction.

Advantages of Contactless Hospitality

1. Efficiency and Speed – Mobile apps and kiosks reduce wait times, allowing guests to check in and out effortlessly.
   
   
2. Enhanced Safety – Reducing face-to-face interactions minimizes health risks, making guests feel more secure.
   
   
3. Cost Savings for Hotels – Automation reduces staffing costs and streamlines operations.
   
   
4. Data-Driven Personalization – AI and data analytics help tailor recommendations and services based on guest preferences.
   
   

The Personalization Challenge

Regardless of the advantages, there is an increasing worry that too much automation may take away the warmth and human connection from hospitality. Classic luxury hotels are all about personal touches, remembering guests’ likes and dislikes, creating unique experiences, and having kind interactions. While chatbots or AI-style recommendations are convenient, they lack the emotional intelligence that dedicated hospitality staff will provide.

Finding the Right Balance

To successfully integrate contactless solutions without sacrificing personalization, hotels can adopt a hybrid approach:

1. Human-AI Collaboration – AI will deal with your basic needs while the human staff will concentrate on your personalized needs. For example, AI can assess your preferences, while concierge staff can provide personalized-based recommendations through conversations.
2. Voice and Video Assistance – Hotels can incorporate voice assistants that are AI powered—allowing guests to communicate in a natural way, as opposed to relying on solely text-based chatbots
   
   
3. Customizable Experiences – Instead of an all-or-nothing automated approach, guests should have the choice of whether they use a digital service or a human service based on what they prefer.
   
   
4. Loyalty-Driven Personalization – Hotels may utilize guest information collected from loyalty programs in a personalized manner to create experiences such as, for example, preferred room arrangements, favorite foods, or unique opportunities.

The Future of Hospitality

As technology advances, the future of hospitality will be defined by businesses’ ability to balance efficiency with meaningful interaction with guests. The desirable experiences will depend on increased applications of technology coupled with the human touch while guests feel acknowledged and benefit from technology which provides moments of digital disruption.

If the hospitality industry envisions going to the future where technology is used to enhance hospitality, as opposed to replacing hospitality, it must carefully tread in incorporating contactless solutions but focus towards personalization.

Guest contributor Sandeep Singh is the Founder of Rubystone Hospitality, an online/offline travel and hotel management company in India. Any opinions expressed in this article are strictly those of the author.