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Faculty Corner Article

Service Excellence and Modern Technology

“The First rule of any technology used in business is that automation applied to
an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation
applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency” Bill Gates
Providing quick, efficient, consistent, and quality services to its client has always
been a major concern for any business form. Service industry has always been
benefitted by the use of technology to fulfill customer requirements, achieving
their satisfaction and providing consistency in services. Ease, access and wide
application of internet for all kind of services by the guest in the Hospitality
industry has made the market highly competitive with many options available to
choose without any hassle. To keep pace with the requirements of the new
generation customers, hotel industry is worldwide adopting new digital trends to
enhance overall service experience.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is simply and precisely the generation of future
records, based on past and present data and statistics. AI, as a concept existed since 1950s, but is only in recent
times it has became a reliable and deployable business tool. It is associated with big data and automation
concepts. Today, collection of data improvements can be utilized for a range of functions, from basic customer
services to personalized tasks with advanced sales process and direct messaging. In particular, customer service
is a vital part of Hospitality industry, with hotel's lastingness based on the way of customer treatment. Hospitality
companies are increasingly using AI to carry out customer service tasks. Hilton have introduced an artificially
intelligent robot as pilot project with IBM, the world's first concierge robot “Connie”, which handles guests
simple queries. March 2015, Henn-na hotel in Nagasaki dubbed 'the world's first Robot staffed hotel'. The hotel
has Front desk robot capable of intelligent communication, cloak robot taking care of guest belongings and face
recognition system for keyless check-in etc. Pengheng Space Capsules Hotel, Shenzhen, China is another hotel,
introduced entire robotic staff in November 2018. AI can also be used to automatically analyze data and assist in
Revenue management strategy. Automatic Data Processing (Machine Learning) CLOUD Based PMS (Property
Management System) is one such software used in hotel industry. Voice controlled smart hubs and speakers such
as Amazon Echo and Alexa from Amazon is a more viable option for Hospitality. Alexa for Hospitality was
launched in 2018, and has been adopted by industry's top names, including Marriott. These devices rely on
artificial intelligence, with voice recognition as a key component, and respond to voice commands. “Success in
creating AI would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately, it might also be the last, unless we learn
how to avoid the risk” Stephen Hawking.
The Internet of things (IoT) refers to devices, fitted with internet capabilities to send and receive data. This
technology allows hotels to save energy cost, while optimizing hotel rooms without human interference. Some
hotels are using smart energy systems to reduce the power consumption by auto cut-off bulbs during the day, or
turn off heating system in an unoccupied room or when occupied room reaches a certain temperature. It can also
be used to optimize temperature automatically before guest arrival. To speed up check-in, check -out, payment
processes Recognition Technology is another form of digital trend to be used by hospitality industry. It includes
facial recognition, finger print and retinal scanning which helps in minimizing human staff contact, time saving
and avoiding chaos during busy hours. This is particularly gaining popularity due to its applicability into
multiple tasks. People are already accessing and understanding safety features of technologies like Face ID and
Touch ID in mobile phones. This has opened up people's minds to possibilities through frictionless automation.
Marriott, China is one of the examples of using face recognition system in the hotel.
The biggest emerging technique in the business world is Virtual Reality (VR), which is gradually coming to
terms with various opportunities it provides. VR has particular appeal for hospitality industry, because it

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