Technology has enhanced the experience. The idea of phoning a hotel to inquire about price and availability is largely a thing of the past. Availability and the best possible price can quickly be determined online, whether it's via the hotel's own website or via one of the many hotel booking websites. Advances in technology are slowly making their way into the hotel itself, meaning that the hotel experience will soon be rather different than it used to be. So what are some of these advances?

No Key Necessary

A number of hotel chains have already done away with the process of giving their guests a physical key. The hotel instead activates an app on your smartphone, which then unlocks the door. This app operates for the duration of your stay and makes it more difficult for guests to lose their keys. It also greatly reduces the hotel's operating costs, as physical keys no longer need to be produced. Having the key activated on the day of check-in means that guests no longer have to actually check-in either, and they can simply go straight up to their rooms. Some hotels are also experimenting with the idea of replacing traditional locks with a fingerprint scanner, and the guest's fingerprint is scanned at the time of check-in.

A Robot Porter

Most hotels offer a place for guests to store their luggage after check-out, but this is about to be taken to a whole new level. A New York hotel is trialling a robotic arm that places the luggage into storage for the guest, without the guest ever needing to speak to a human staff member. A gigantic robotic arm (usually used in factories, primarily for vehicle construction) will fetch a container and deposit it in front of the guest. The guest then enters their last name and selects a PIN code. The robot carries the container to the storage area and slides it into place. No heavy lifting required (by a human anyway!). The guest then enters their PIN to retrieve their bags.

Robot Check-In

How would you feel about being checked in by a robot? A Japanese hotel features front of house staff who are humanoid robots. It might be a little bit unsettling, and yet is both technologically innovative as well as an interesting way to save on labour costs. The robots are capable of holding basic conversations (such as answering guests questions about the facility) and will actually scan your face during the check-in process. There is an additional scanner at the door to your room, meaning that your face becomes your key. This is used because the robots do not have the dexterity to handle something as small and thin as an electronic room key card. So don't be surprised if you're checked in by a robot in the years to come.

Contact a professional hotel, such as Windsor Lodge Como, to see if they offer these or similar technological advances to make your stay more enjoyable.