With technology charging ahead at a lightning pace, commercial property owners need to keep up to date on technology, lest their customers feel they are losing touch with their needs. Dozens of studies show that travelers, especially business travelers expect robust, always-on WiFi at a bare minimum.
Attempting to meet the challenge, the Hyatt Regency Chicago is gearing up to be the most technologically advanced hotel in the country. Not only are they the largest hotel in the Hyatt chain, they are also the largest hotel in Chicago.
As part of their $168-million renovation, guests checking in can use iPads and kiosks to select their room, inquire about upgrades, and even obtain a RFID room key.
Navigating around Chicago can sometimes be a challenge with not enough roads signs. That won't be a problem for Hyatt guests however with their new digital signage package. Installing over 100 large scale plasma monitors, the hotel aims to make it easy for guests to find their meeting rooms and banquet areas.
Many of the monitors are touchscreen enabled and can be used to also check weather or Google maps for local directions.
Security is always a hot button for urban hotels, so Hyatt has upgraded their systems with HDMI over IP hi-res cameras. Not only will they be monitored from the security command center, all staff members can check monitors from their mobile devices.
WiFi in a large hotel is usually available in certain areas, which means that a mobile guest wandering the hallways is liable to lose connectivity as he roams. To prevent that, Hyatt has installed a total of 800 access points so there should be no dead spots.
This is the kind of technology the new breed of business travelers is expecting. How soon will your property deliver this level of service?
Doug Bardwell writes about interesting new real estate projects, construction and grand openings across the country and around the world. Feel free to drop him a line at realestate.dougbardwell@gmail.com with suggestions for future stories. To get his stories delivered to your inbox, click the RSS feed or the "Subscribe" button above or follow him on Facebook , Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.
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