No Soul in the New Hotel?
I’ve stayed in everything from budget hostels to luxury hotels—and, most recently, so-called smart hotels.
With this last type of accommodation most interactions with the hotel and the room are either automated, and/or customers can do this through their smartphone or computer.
Guests are usually given a code to check in and out and to request specific amenities. There is usually no front desk and no security. Customers can typically program their rooms’ lights, televisions, heating, and air conditioning.
Why do these types of accommodations exist?
There is an underlying logic to this type of hotel. When traveling (especially for business or tourism purposes), you spend little time in the room when you’re busy with meetings or sightseeing.
The appeal is clear: automation promises convenience for guests and cost savings for hotels.
In principle, this arrangement makes sense. Nowadays, when you can book, modify, and cancel a reservation online, and with the convenience of your iPhone, modify it online, having a reception staff and even a concierge seems unnecessary.
But all that glitters is not gold.
To begin with, in-room digital user interfaces are not always intuitive, working, or functioning correctly, and it is not easy to override them. Sometimes, they are in a foreign language and cannot easily switch to English.
Room and bathroom lights can turn on and off at all times of the day and night.
Curtains and blinds open and close at hours you may not want.
And the same is true with televisions, air conditioning, and heating.
Customer service is almost nonexistent. Chat-based exchanges with hotel management are dominant, and you often deal with an AI bot.
Reaching a human is challenging. When you do, they are often offshore, unfamiliar with your hotel, and juggling multiple customers.
You are often better able to solve problems than someone working on a different continent.
Meanwhile, the cleaning staff is typically skeletal. If you have challenges, like the room you just rented was not cleaned, the remediation times may be ridiculous, typically until the next day.
If your smart hotel has a front desk, the staff can be incredibly rude. This is probably because they have been dealing with customer complaints all day (if they work past 8 p.m.).
Smart hotels typically offer less security. If you encounter a challenge, such as being locked out of your room or a stranger buzzing your room at all hours of the night, customer service is often of minimal help. It’s better to put a pillow over your head or call the cops.
So what is going on?
The so-called smart hotel goes against the basic model of hospitality, which makes guests feel welcome. Hotel rooms are not simply places to rest your weary head. They should be frictionless for the customer. It is not supposed to be a stressful experience, and customers should not be subject to numerous hassles.
So what is the solution? Unless you have a friend or relative who has raved about a location, just like you would do with an Airbnb, home exchanges, etc., carefully read all the reviews on different platforms before booking a smart hotel in a city or country you are unfamiliar with. Treat the positive reviews with a degree of skepticism.
Remember that there are also hybrid smart hotel models. I recently stayed at one in San Francisco. From when I checked in to when I left, I interacted with friendly staff who assisted patrons with everything from navigating the computer tablet in each guest suite to restaurant recommendations.
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Photo Credit
The Three Stooges from the movie The Idle Roomers (1941)
