At this point, it is genuinely impossible for one not to have heard about the Internet of Things (IoT). After all, it is among the most potent technologies to have emerged on the scene in the recent past. How do we know? Well, there are millions and millions of devices across the globe that have enabled seamless connections between people, tools, companies, and databases, among other factors in the ecosystem. Given its ability to help, it should come as no surprise that IoT has also made its way into pretty much all the industries in the world. However, the impact of IoT has been particularly impressive in the travel industry because it has demonstrated the ability to assist not only the back-end of travel operations or customer-facing operations but both of them. So, you can imagine why it has now become a massive hit in the global travel industry.
You see, customers in the travel industry are very demanding; they want the best services, peppered with innovation, and all that at affordable prices. The competition this has then given rise to would have been nearly impossible to deal with, had it not been for technologies such as IoT. From empowering service providers to collect feedback in real-time and then leverage that data to adapt their services to enabling automation, personalization, and so much more — IoT has proven it is here to stay. But if you are still on the fence about it, here are some of its other benefits for the travel industry.
- Baggage handling: Lost baggage is a massive problem in the travel industry — one that ruins not only the travelers’ experience but also brands’ images. However, thanks to IoT, companies now have the opportunity to leverage data management and intelligence-based insights to streamline baggage related processes. Some of the facets IoT can help with includes: communication with indoor navigation tools and technologies, assistance during irregular operations (IROPs), and more.
- Personalized experiences: As mentioned above, customers today demand services that are specially tailored to their preferences. In this context, IoT helps companies overcome the challenge of gathering the requisite data that can then be processed to glean the insights that are necessary to deliver services that are following customers’ tastes and preferences. It also enables service providers to keep a tab on their inventory and engage customers accordingly.
- Automate operations: Unlike what some people may be inclined to believe, there is enormous scope for automation in the travel industry as well, i.e., not every single thing needs the involvement of a human being. So, with connected devices such as cameras, smartphone sensors, and more, companies can automate processes such as check-ins, check-outs, etc.
- Give customers control: Since a vast majority of travelers typically stay in hotels, there is an abundance of scope to leverage IoT to deliver substantially better experiences for customers. Hotels can make use of IoT to enable customers to connect their own devices with the in-room infrastructure to control, say, the light settings, room temperature, and more from their devices instead of walking up to the switches to make the required adjustments manually. And not only that, but folks can also be allowed to order room service from their devices instead of placing a call to the department. And the benefits are not just for customers alone — sensors can be leveraged to see when the rooms are not occupied to automatically shut down the air conditioning or dim the lights during the day. Such factors may seem trivial to the onlooker, but you wouldn’t believe just how much hotels can save when they integrate IoT into their operations.
Some may say that IoT is not a must-have for the travel industry, at least not yet. But we beg to differ — IoT is now a must-have for travel portal app development so your company can continue to deliver sublime experiences to customers.
