Guests attending meetings — and those running them — want to have control over technology in a hotel’s meeting space. This do-it-yourself trend has encouraged some hoteliers to reevaluate the design, layout and technology each property offers, according to a report by Hotel News Now (hotelnewsnow.com).
“If 20 people are sitting around a table, instead of having one single device control the room, our customers want anyone in that room to be able to put their presentation on the screen,” said Barry Goldstein, chief revenue officer at Dolce Hotels and Resorts.
Goldstein said meeting attendees want flexibility, ease of use, participation by all and secure wireless. Based on those four principles, Dolce has added a bevy of things in its meeting space, including the ability to build a dynamic, secure server onsite, increased bandwidth and embedded touch-screen controls on the wall. He said all of these enhancements, in addition to the ability to have multiple devices control a presentation, helped the company secure a meeting with Google.
Gansevoort Hotel Group’s COO Elon Kenchington agreed clients want the ability to control everything in the room, but it’s also important that the meeting space technology is operational to even novice users.
“We decided that the best solution would be to integrate all of our audio-visual equipment into our…control system that can be easily managed through an intuitive application on an iPad. This allows for our clients to control everything in the room without having to go through extensive training or require onsite IT support throughout the meeting,” Kenchington said in an email.
Providing a more memorable experience is another reason some hotel companies are evaluating their offerings from a design and technology standpoint. “A lot of meeting planners have told us the days of just finding a place to book their meeting is gone. They’re looking to create memorable experiences,” said Myesha Cross, marketing manager at the Westin Peachtree in Atlanta.
The hotel underwent a $70-million renovation in February. Included in the renovation was the addition of the “Tangent” meeting space, a collaborative space for small meetings that offers interactive video conferencing options and floor-to-ceiling white boards.
Pleasing the attendee
Guest needs have evolved over the last few years, and the same goes for the meeting attendee, sources said. Many attendees want to be able to connect to the Internet with multiple devices while in the meeting space, guestroom or lobby.
“There’s a basic expectation today more than there ever has been. When (guests) show up to our property, they expect to be able to connect at least three devices, said Dolce Hotel’s Goldstein. He said connectivity is most important to meeting attendees and interactive capabilities with presentations and charging stations follow close behind. One challenge is training attendees on how to use equipment.
“One thing we’ve also begun to learn is that we have to provide people to help teach some people how to use the technology. That’s the biggest challenge,” he said.
