Tech-tonic Shift in Hotels
During his stay at the Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway in January, Delhi-based executive Rishabh Gupta did not have to stand in queue at the front desk. Instead, he used the hotel’s mobile key to check-in, and accessed the room key using his smartphone.
While hotels have been investing in consumer-connect technologies for over a decade, it has now found more takers after the Covid-19 outbreak, with social distancing being the new norm.
According to industry experts, technology can bring down the operation cost of a hotel by 15-40 per cent, or even more, depending on the property (boutique or budget hotel), footfall, and the kind of systems deployed.
“Travel and tourism is among the fastest-growing sectors in India, contributing nearly a tenth to the country’s GDP ($247.3 billion) and accounting for roughly 42 million jobs (direct and indirect). The role of technology will be key in the post-pandemic world. Most states have already put in conditions of ‘contactless’ check-in/check-outs. QR codes, artificial intelligence and machine learning will soon replace physical menus in hotels and restaurants,” says Vivek Agarwal, Partner, Infrastructure, Government and Healthcare Services, KPMG in India.
This year, due to the virus outbreak, the domestic hotel industry is likely to see a 57 per cent decline in
