Tablets have long been advertised as a better, lighter, and cooler alternative to laptops. This statement is true in many ways, and nowhere is it more apparent than in the travel industry, as hotels, tour operators, and destination management companies are revolutionizing the uses and suitability of this technology. Business and leisure travelers alike are ditching their laptops and instead choosing to travel with a tablet.
Integrating Personal Devices to Hotel Amenities
The hotel sector is rapidly embracing tablet technology. Some, like The Peninsula Hotels, are concentrating their efforts on providing fully integrated in-room tablets to their guests, allowing them to control everything from room service to TV channels, in over 10 different languages, from the touch screen of their tablet.
Other hoteliers are foregoing the notion of providing an in-room tablet, and are instead allowing guests to use their own iPad or Android device to access in room controls, as well as destination information and concierge services. Hilton is even working to enable guests to connect their hotel television or speakers to their streaming subscriptions from Netflix, Pandora, etc.
Others are looking to build a more futuristic environment. Starwood recently unveiled their Smart Mirror technology, which would provide fingertip access to hotel services, weather, news, and sports scores through a digital floor-to-ceiling mirror. While this may sound a bit like science fiction, the Smart Mirror is already enjoying success in its pilot program.
Immersing in a Destination through Technology
Some forward thinking tour operators and in-country service providers are using tablets to prepare their guests for their travels, and to communicate with them while on the move. Last year, Four Seasons introduced their private jet product, with costs starting north of $100,000.00 per person. Flying on a reconfigured Boeing 757, 52 guests enjoy the pampering services of 21 crew and staff members. They also enjoy a complimentary iPad Air 2, which is sent to them in advance of their departure date, so they can pre-load any music, books, apps, etc. that they would like.
Alluring Asia, a luxury destination management company, provides each of its guests on selected itineraries with a Samsung “loaner” tablet. This tablet is pre-loaded to include the time zones they will travel to and from, weather for all destinations to be visited, emergency contact information, an itinerary that updates in real time to account for any changes that may occur, as well as a curated selection of books, music, movies & television shows that are geared specifically to the destination they will visit. Headed to India? Enjoy a personal screening of Gandhi on the way. On your way to Australia? Dive into The Thorn Birds, a classic novel set in the Australian sheep country. In addition to these diversions, the tablet is also stocked with historical and current destination information, including dining options. Nothing is overlooked in creating these electronic dossiers- even Skype and Facebook come pre-loaded and ready to go.