This week in hospitality news, Starwood launched keyless mobile entry at some of its US and Asian properties, ehotelier reported on a survey that reveals commonalities in guest preferences and pet peeves, and WTM released its 2014 Industry and Trend Reports.

Starwood launches mobile keyless entry

In a much anticipated move, Starwood launched SPG Keyless on Wednesday at select US and Asian properties. The mobile keyless entry system will roll out at ten hotels, including Aloft Beijing, Aloft Cancun, Aloft Cupertino, Aloft Harlem, W Doha, W Hollywood, W Hong Kong, W New York-Downtown, W Singapore and Element Times Square. Starwood has also announced that it will implement SPG Keyless in 150 of its hotels around the world by early 2015.

The keyless entry system allows guests to bypass the front desk, and use their smartphones as room keys, via the SPG App and Bluetooth technology. This particular trend, along with the advent of Apple Pay, is just one more indication that travelers are becoming more and more dependent on their mobile phones, and less likely to interact directly with hotel staff. 

CLICK HERE to read the Skift article on the Starwood announcement. 

What things cause guests to hate their hotels

On Tuesday, eHotelier reported on a Huno.com survey that reveals some interesting commonalities in guest preferences and pet peeves. When asked “What factors annoy you the most when staying at a hotel?”, 41% of respondents listed dirty or untidy rooms as the number one issue, followed by uncomfortable beds and poor service/inexperienced staff. We at Revinate were a little surprised that hidden extras like WiFi didn’t rank higher, as internet-related reviews seem to negatively affect the occurrence of 5 star reviews, according to Revinate data scientists

CLICK HERE to read the full details of the survey results on eHotelier. 

WTM Industry and Trend Reports

This week, Hospitality Net reported on the World Travel Market Industry and Global Trends reports for 2014. 

Some of the highlights:

  • Cycling may represent a threat to golf tourism, as it has become a more prevalent leisure time activity of middle-aged men
  • The rise of surf tourism could represent a huge opportunity for properties in Africa
  • “Braggies,” or the new traveler selfie, represents a huge opportunity for hotels on social media in the form of valuable user generated content

Both reports hold valuable information on guest behaviors. When hotels know the habits of their guests well, they can drive brand loyalty and bookings. For example, in the case of the “braggies,” hotels should be sharing this valuable user generated content, to both cultivate a deeper relationship with the guest(s) who shared the photo, and to develop brand trust with that guest’s social network. 

CLICK HERE to download your copy of the WTM Industry Report.
CLICK HERE to download your copy of the WTM Global Trends Report.