STAT BOX
90percent of surveyed hospitality managers agreed with the statement, “Information technology?contributes positively to my organization’s bottom line.” |
Club and resort managers have seen the future, and are now in quite the hurry to get there. With word spreading fast about the value that properties are gaining—both for their marketing efforts and through newfound internal operating efficiencies—by upgrading their technological capabilities, the race is on to make up for lost time and dive into the deep end of the 21st century. Beyond how properties like Cimarron Hills Golf & Country Club are benefitting from souped-up systems (see case study, pg. 56), here is some other noteworthy evidence of electronic edges now being gained, and used, in the industry:
Going the Distance
The golf staff at Three Creeks Golf Club in Jackson Hole, Wyo., now takes advantage of upgraded desktop publishing capabilities to print new scorecards daily, after cutting new cups and measuring and recording the exact revised distances from tees to holes.
Now See This
GPS has been taken to new levels at many high-end resorts and courses that host large groups. Some facilities have offered“Smart Carts” equipped with systems that allow for tournament updates and other mass communications to all golfers on a property. “It gives meeting planners constant contact with everyone on the course,” Dave Gabri, President/CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels and Resorts, told Business Meetings magazine. “They can notify attendees of any itinerary changes.”
Everything But the Backache
Room-diagramming software that allows catering directors to “rearrange” their banquet facilities electronically and show how they could set up for, and accommodate, an event is rapidly becoming a must-have tool at clubs and resorts.
The software is customized by taking initial measurements of a property’s event areas and full inventory of its equipment and furniture, and then loading all the data into the program. Every time the software is used to create a new floor plan, that diagram can be saved into a library for future reference. Once finalized, the plans also make it much easier to plan the logistics of how to stage the table and chairs that will be needed.
You’re Virtually There
Properties in top-destination resort areas are scrambling to make sure they’re in on the hottest trend in the travel industry: Online “virtual tours” that let potential visitors “walk the streets” and “drop in” to check out leading attractions.
The Aspen (Colo.) Chamber Resort Association is now adding a second phase to its three-dimensional “SuperTour of Aspen” that will highlight lodging properties and include a reservation tool (www.aspenchamber.com). Aspen is one of three U.S. resort areas (along with Las Vegas and Miami Beach) that now offer seamless interactive visual experiences, which have been developed from photographs by SuperTour, a “hypermedia content platform” provider.
Future Comforts
Much of the technology contained in Guestroom 2010—the prototype for the hotel room of the future unveiled at this summer’s Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference, and then displayed again in the fall at the International Hotel/Motel Show—could be used to provide added comforts for members and guests, and increased efficiencies for operators, even at properties that don’t offer lodging. The 32 technologies featured in the model guestroom included these high-tech touches:
• An “Eco-Power” faucet that generates electrical energy each time water spins inside the faucet’s internal turbine, eliminating the need for disposable batteries or hardwiring like other “sensor” faucets. The Guestroom 2010 also featured a closed-lid toilet equipped with smart sensors that automatically opens the lid when approached, closes and flushes when someone goes away, and can be controlled with a wireless remote (although we sense this could be a dangerous addition to some club locker rooms).
• An automatic shower cleaning system that eliminates the need for manual cleaning, using a computer-controlled robotic arm that sprays surfaces with a variety of water and cleaning solutions and can be programmed for any shower shape or size. The system can also be engineered or expanded to accommodate multiple showers, and operated with a wireless remote. It will not operate if the shower door is occupied or the door is opened during operation.
• Switchable privacy glass that can be changed from translucent to transparent with the touch of an electrical switch; the panels can be butt-joined for use in many areas, such as a bathroom or conference room.
• A biometric safe that is locked and unlocked by memorizing, and then recognizing, a fingerprint. Only the same fingerprint that locked the safe can then reopen it. A biometric handheld override unit is available for emergency openings, requiring a verified fingerprint and password. An historic audit trail stores all transactions.
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.