Mobile-centric ‘Connected Room’ Heightens the Customer Experience at Hilton

Innovation and Hilton Worldwide have become almost synonymous, with company officials always pushing the envelope when it comes to technological advancements that magnify the customer experience.

Keeping with that theme, Hilton announced plans to launch ‘Connected Room,’ billed as the first mobile-centric hotel room in 2018.

Connected Room will allow guests to personalize and control every aspect of their stay from one central point–their mobile device. Currently in beta testing, Connected Room is live in one hotel, will deploy in coming weeks in several more, and will begin to scale rapidly to hotels across the U.S. in 2018.

Guests who stay at Connected Room-enabled properties will soon be able to use the Hilton Honors app to manage most things they would traditionally do manually in a room, from controlling the temperature and lighting to the TV and window coverings. Guests will also be able to personalize their room with technology that loads the most popular streaming media and other accounts to in-room TVs.

Loyalty360 talked to Joshua Sloser, SVP Digital, Hilton Worldwide, to learn more about the Connected Room.

“Connected Room is the first mobile-centric hotel room,” Sloser said. “In the longer-term, Connected Room will support a range of connected devices, engagements and experiences. Guests will able to use voice commands to control their room or access their content, and to upload their own artwork and photos to automatically display in their room. Guests will also be able to set various preferences in their Hilton Honors account profile to further customize their in-room experience to their individual preferences.”

What was the genesis of the Connected Room?

“At Hilton, almost all digital products are born out of necessity and shortcomings in the marketplace – and Connected Room is no exception,” Sloser said. “Residential trends become hospitality expectations. Guests increasingly adopt streaming app and home automation solutions, such as the smart thermostats and light bulbs. Guests have told us that they are coming to expect these features in their hotel rooms. With Connected Room we have ensured that the technology we put in hotel rooms is intuitive, simple, and quick to pick up because guests typically spend a limited amount of time in their rooms and we want them to spend that time enjoying the experience instead of adapting to new technology.”

What makes the “Connected Room” unique and revolutionary in the hotel industry?

“Hilton is again leading the hospitality industry in creating innovative experiences for our guests,” Sloser said. “Connected Room will help to enhance their stay at Hilton properties, by personalizing the stay experience. Connected Room gives guests choice and control over how they’d like to engage with their guestroom, meeting the needs of all guests.”

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