High-tech hotels: What are the latest amenities? Is wireless curbside check-in next?

• Author: Mayer, Kathy
• Position: Hotels & Resorts

After a long day of traveling and meetings, what could be better than a quick airport or curbside hotel check-in, stepping into a room at the perfect temperature with soothing music playing and speedy access to your email? Those are just some of the high-tech amenities here or on the horizon as hotels embrace new offerings to enhance guest stays.

With keyless entry, two telephone lines and on-demand movies hailed as today's standards, and game systems and TV-monitor checkout becoming commonplace, the hospitality industry's next high-tech steps are touted to be wireless systems, virtual concierge, and handheld devices that unlock doors, start the bath water, make restaurant reservations, adjust room lighting and more.

In-room computers and Internet access are by far the hottest ticket says Lee M. Kreul, professor and head of Purdue University's restaurant, hotel, institution and tourism management program. 'There's an increased use of computers in hotel rooms. That's no secret. But hotels still have a long way to go to accommodate people with computers," he says. "More and more, you'll see hotels providing access to the Internet without having to bring your own equipment in."

High-speed access is a must, says Sandra Richards, director of marketing at STSN Inc., a Salt Lake City company that provides the service at several Indiana hotels, including the state's Courtyard and Marriott hotels and Adam's Mark in Indianapolis. "It's absolutely a competitive differentiator. The majority of travelers, especially business travelers, look for high-speed Internet access. They don't want to sit and wait for dialup."

"Guests are desiring to have the same technologies in their hotel room that they have at home," says Bill Keener, information-technology manager for Indianapolis-based General Hotels Corp. "As broadband becomes more prevalent at home, band in their hotel room."

The big question, he says, is whether hotels charge extra for the service. Some, he says, have found business travelers willing to pay for broadband service, while others have tried to keep installation and operational costs down enough that they can offer it for free as a competitive perk.

A major part of the operational cost is providing technical support, Keener says. If a hotel can design a system that can offer guests easy and trouble-free hookups 99 percent of the time, the reduction in customer-support costs often can allow the hotel to offer broadband for free.

The future...