Business Travel
Tech Travel Trends: 5 to Look Out For In 2023
Travel tech is advancing at lightning speeds. 2023 will indeed be the year that industries such as hospitality, aviation, F&B, and more put all their efforts into keeping up with the latest technology. From speeding through passport control faster than ever before, to using more automatic processes in hotels and even the use of AI, the future has already arrived. Read on for some tech travel trends and changes that are already on their way to becoming the norm in 2023.
Airport Technology
Travellers have long dreamed of an easy breezy airport experience but post-pandemic travel has thrown this sharply into focus, with extreme delays, huge security lines, cancellations, staff shortages and more causing flight interruptions. Currently, manual passport control is used in many countries, including the US and UK, despite us now having e-passports. Biometrics are set to be a huge focus this year, as fingerprint and facial recognition are used to speed up processes in airports and elsewhere.
This could involve facial or iris recognition booths instead at airport security to verify travellers’ details, or fingerprints used to unlock rental cars and more. US airlines are already experimenting with this technology however naturally there are concerns surrounding data privacy.
On the other hand, personal information contained on chips and mobile devices is already common, particularly for emergency situations, therefore it’s a short jump for those who’d like the entire process of getting through the airport to become quicker.
Personalisation Technology
Increasingly, travellers want a unique, personalised experience everywhere they go. The technology for this exists, but it is in parts. For example, you may book the window seat whenever you fly, prefer rooms on a higher floor in hotels, travel with kids often or need to rent cars each month for business trips. Imagine if this data was collated onto platforms for both a seamless and personal experience. In the future, you will already be assigned the window seat (assuming it’s available!) when you book, you’ll never be offered a room lower than floor five, and a car will always be ready for your monthly trips with your favourite rental company.
On top of this, data can be used to create perfect itineraries tailored just for you, including hotels that fit your budget and restaurants you might like. Group travel is also set to be improved through similar technology, as currently, those booking with families or multiple people face many challenges when travelling.
Platforms are looking to remember group bookings for the future, and allow increased flexibility – such as moving, amending and cancelling individual passengers without hassle. There will also be more competitive fares and suggested times – since few people want to be flying with children at 6am!
Hotel Technology
Hotels have long been using technology to improve customer satisfaction, but you may be surprised to learn that only a tiny percentage of hotels worldwide are using things like electronic door locks and automatic check-in. It can seem like every property, especially in the UK, has these useful additions, but many are yet to catch up and most hotels and chains only spend around 2.5% of their revenue on improving technology.
For those that already use tech, more is just around the corner. Travellers are tired of automated chatbots when contacting customer service, but with huge staff shortages in hospitality, brands are turning to AI to respond to guests.
Staff shortages are the main factor driving this change, along with demand. Although data has shown that guests continue to value human interaction when staying at properties, informational roles now don’t require humans.
Many hotels include phones and tablets within guest rooms, for on-site information such as maps of the property and FAQs, or out and about to learn more about their destination. These friendly bots and devices have started a whole new trend known as EI meets AI (Emotional Intelligence meets Artificial Intelligence).
Booking Platforms
Booking platforms may not look much different, but behind-the-scenes changes are taking place. Currently, there are so many booking platforms to choose from, although many travellers head to the big ones such as Booking.com, TripAdvisor or Kayak. Not only does this mean there is information all over the place, but hotels and travel operators are losing huge revenue to intermediaries, instead of encouraging guests to book direct. Travel providers will be focusing heavily on promoting their own platforms this year to rebalance their books.
However, many hotels and brands will still be using similar platforms, just differently. Large players in the industry such as Mews and Oracle have already established sites, which run behind the scenes of property websites, automating almost everything from bookings to the front desk, mobile ordering and payment and more. This is on top of offering data analysis, so hotels can constantly improve and adapt to trends and guest preferences.
Nestor’s Technology
As a provider of luxury apartments in London, Nestor keeps up to date with all the latest predictions in the travel and hospitality sphere. In our properties, you’ll find everything from automatic, contactless check-in, to QR codes allowing you to order breakfast or book a fitness class!
While we’re continuously improving our tech, we also champion sustainability. Alongside our modern amenities, our guests also enjoy vegan toiletries, recycled toilet paper and products from our partners who all value sustainability and ethical practices.
