Introduction

The following research paper analyzes in room technologies used in the hotel rooms.
It looks into how the technological advances all over the globe affect the hotel
industry and how the industry has prepared itself to adopt the in room technologies.
These are technologies used inside the hotel rooms by guests. The research looks
into the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats presented by these
technologies to the hotel industry and hotel rooms services in particular. The first
part of this discussion looks into the different factors that have precipitated to the
development of the in room technology as part of the background information. The
second part explores the different types of in room technologies used in hotels. The
final part of this essay is a SWOT analysis of the in room technologies to determine
their benefits and costs that they bring to the hotel industry.
Background information
Days are gone when hotel would provide a bed and a linen and the guests would be
fully satisfied. Nowadays the hotels have intensified the marketing and competition
for the travelers in the hotel industry. The gyms and spa are not enough to provide
comfort and a great experience to the guests who are seeking new experience in
their travel expedience (Clow, 2003).
The modern technologies have been integrated into every day life and most of the
guests cannot agree to live in an area where there are no technological services
such as the internet, television, and power connections to charge their cell phones.
This means that the technologies must be accounted for when taking care of the
guest. The hotel markets have also changed drastically especially due to the
increased availability of information for the travelers on where they can get fair
rooms services enabling the guests to compare places where they can receive the

utmost value for their investment. This has reduced customer loyalty hence
programs previously offered by the hotel companies to loyal customers have not
been fully effective as they were previously. The baby boomers’ generation that is
considered loyal and has been the target of the hotels service providers has
diminished and there are new markets from generation X that is people born
between in the 1960’s and 1980’s (Nicholas, 2007).
With the increased competition among the hotel service provides, the need to
provide in room services has been on the rise. Days when the recreation and hotel
rooms were for people on transit and leisure alone are gone. Hotel rooms need to
accommodate the traveler’s preferences (Schultz, 2000).
The modern day guests in the hotel room is not concerned with the outdoor
experiences only, they want a place where they can be entertained while in their
rooms. This means that the hotels must have ways of providing in room
entertainment to the guests.
The hotel room technologies
The first technology is the television. The television is an important gadget in the
hotel rooms. The guests prefer hotel rooms that will keep them abreast with what is
happening outside the rooms. Although guests prefer hotel with mainstream
television channels, hotel service providers who want to cut a niche in the market
and develop return customers have to provide cable television to the rooms as part
of television. This is preferable for the customers who want in room entertainment
and they may prefer to watch movies or cable programs through the cable television.
For guests who prefer to watch movies a Video player or VCR player is preferred
(Yang, et al 2000).

The second major device which of importance in the hotel rooms is the power plug in
devices with multi plug power sockets to allow the guests to connect to the
electricity. These are imperative as the modern day guests and travelers have
devices such as laptops, cell phones, and Ipads, which they have to connect to
power sources. Having multiple power plug-in will be advantageous, it will enable the
guests to use the different type of technological equipments that they have (Yang, et
al 2000).
The other device that is useful as part of in room technology that must be in hotel
rooms is that customized speakers where the guests in their rooms can interconnect
the iPods, laptops, music, and entertainment for themselves (Yang, et al 2000). It
enables the guests to customize the entertainment in their rooms to suit their
preferences.
Having internet connection in the room is very imperative; in fact, it is a key
component of modern day guesthouse. In the advent of the modern day technology,
guests move around with their laptops and they may need to interconnect with their
friends through the social networks, others may be in business travel and they may
have to upload some project. Therefore, internet connectivity is a major technology
that will brand the company as a guesthouse and is a way of increasing the
resources and capital of the company. Most of the hotels have WIFI internet
connection where the guests can interconnect their laptops to the connection. Some
of the guesthouses prefer to have networked computers interconnected with the
internet (Pickton, 2000).
The other device nowadays considered part of in room technology is the dial up
phone. It is a device, which allows the consumers to communicate with the hotel
attendant in case they need any service. This device has contributed to increased

privacy of the guest, as they do not have to move in need and out of the room to
request for a service.
The third in room technology that is on the rise in its use is of the mood lights or light
adjustment systems. It allows the guest to control the rooms lighting such that the
guest can use lighting to create the desired mood for relaxation. The lightings are
imperative in the creation of the desired atmosphere for the clients. Other than light
adjustments, air conditioning in the rooms is imperative, having air conditioning in the
rooms is imperative as it ensures that the temperatures comfort the guests (Yang, et
al 2000).
The other devices that the hotels have to provide are gaming devices. The
generation Y and generations X guests have a tendency to engage in computer
games. Providing devices that have games is critical to the development of guest
entertainment. Guest entertainment is critical. Gaming devices such as PC and
game boards are a major source of indoor recreation and most of the young guests
prefer hotels that they have these devices as they provide a good experience.
The other devices that are useful in the hotel rooms are the mirror televisions. These
are televisions installed in the washrooms to ensure that the guests are well catered
for and entertained. Mirror televisions have touch screens, which enables guests to
adjust them when they need to. The other device used inside the rooms is the
internet radio device connects to over four thousand radio stations (Yang, et al
2000).
SWOT analysis of in room technologies
The following is an analysis of in room technologies where the discussion takes a
look into the effects of the room technology by analyzing its strengths, weaknesses,

opportunities, and threats as well as the implications of having in room technology in
the hotels.
The strengths
In room technologies presents the following strengths in a hotel. The first strength or
advantage that they offer to the hotel service provides is that they give the customers
a good experience. In travelling and hotels industry, experience that the guest has is
what determines whether the client will comes again or not. Providing in room
technologies gives the travelers hosted in the hotels a near-home experience where
they can customize the technologies to suit the atmosphere that they have at home.
This gives the guests a good experience. At a time when many people area attached
to the new technology, many of the guests cannot stay without their cell phones,
laptops, and iPods. It is imperative for any hotel service provider who wishes to tap
into this huge technology savvy generation to make an effort of providing support
services that will accommodate the use of those gadgets in the rooms where the
guests are. Apple has sold over one hundred million smart phones and iPods, which
are popular, and almost everyone with high disposable income has a Smartphone, a
camera, or a laptop. Therefore, preparing the rooms to be accommodative to the
guest’s technological devices is imperative and it is strength (Zhang, 2010).
The other advantage posed by the in room technologies are that they result into
increased guest satisfaction. Feedback from guests indicates that they are
overwhelmed and highly appreciate guestrooms that have WIFI connections. They
also appreciate the ability to customize entertainment in their rooms by
interconnecting iPods to the speakers such that they can listen to their own musical
preferences or playlist other than the one provided by the hotels. This shows that the
hotels that have such services create an exceptional experience to the guests and

the guests therefore feel satisfied and are likely to return to the hotel or to
recommend the services offered to another person.
In- room technologies are more effective in maintaining customer loyalty than loyalty
and bonus programs offered to loyal customers. The guests nowadays have more
information on places where they can be accommodated at a fair price, and
increased competition among the hotel industry players. Loyalty programs are not
effective. The modern day guest is not loyal, they are dynamic, their preferences are
unpredictable, and getting them committed to the service of one service provider is a
gargantuan task. However, hotels that have intensified their installation of in room
technologies to ensure that the customers have a good experience in their rooms
have reported increased sales from return customers. This shows that in room
technologies provide an added advantage to the hotel service providers (Zhang,
2010).
Due to the complexity of and costs of installing in room technologies hotel that have
in room technologies have reported high level of sales as well as having a definite
competitive edge over their competitors. The competition has significantly reduced in
instances where the hotel had a better in room technologies as it gave them a
competitive edge over their competitors. The increased service provision for the
different types of people enables the hotel service provider to provide services and
satisfaction to two distinct groups of travelers and guests. There are those who
check into the hotel as business travelers who are on a transit towards a particular
destination. These types of travelers look for a place where they can relax as they
keep in touch with the business developments. They therefore need in room
technologies as part of their travel. The second category of guests that in room
technologies assists the hotel service providers to reach out to is the leisure traveler

who is seeking for an in door experience outside home. This traveler seeks hotels
that have indoor leisure facilities where they can relax, and play games indoors. In
room technologies enables the hotel service providers to increase their sales by
reaching out to this group of guests (Zhang, 2010).
The other strength of in room technologies is that it enables the hoteliers to reach out
to the different generation of guests. It is imperative for the hoteliers to know that
guests in different age categories have different leisure preferences hence different
in room technology needs. For instance, baby boomer that is people born in 1950’s
prefers television as their device of choice for entertainment. They also have a liking
for slow music, classical music, and jazz. Providing them with in room technologies
that will enable them to watch television as well as listen to their favorite music will
give the hotel an added advantage as it will provide the guest with the desired
experience. In addition, this generation has a tendency to be loyal and therefore
providing them with the satisfactory services to ensure that they have increased
loyalty is imperative to the development of increased profits and sales volume of the
hotel (Pickton, 2000).
The generation X made up of people born in the 1960’s and 1970s has a tendency
to have a high sense of self and they are highly individualistic. Since they were born
in time when technology was gaining momentum, they have access to the internet
and they prefer in room technologies that allow them to access the internet. They
prefer to game or to engage indoor games and they are perfectionists. To reach out
to this group of people the most important thing is to ensure that the rooms have
WIFI, power plug-in to enable them to interconnect their devices, as well as gaming
devices to allow them to play games (Pickton, 2000).

In room technologies also allow the hotel service providers to reach out to the
generation Y, which has more ability to use technology than the previous
generations. This generation is especially attached to the cell phone which they use
for myriad purposes. To reach out to this generation, it is imperative to have
technological devices such as power plug in to allow them to charge their cell
phones, customized speakers to enable them to play their play lists as well as WIFI
internet to enable them to connect to the internet. This will play a major role in
providing a good experience to those in this generation. Such technologies are
crucial to the hotelier in appealing to guests who are in different generations. It
enables the hotel to have customized services for each guest as per their
preferences. The in room technologies also increases the efficiency of service
provision especially through the dial up connections where the guests can connect to
the attendants and request for particular services as quickly as they wish (Yang, et al
2000).
Weaknesses of in room technologies
The first weakness is the financial implication that these technologies have on the
hotels. This type of technology is capital intensive and they involve high level of
expenditure. The initial cost of set up for instance the WIFI connections may involve
spending $10, 000. Installing television devices in every room will cost $600 in each
room. Installing the air conditioners in the rooms will also cost $300 for each room.
Installing the gaming devices in the rooms that will allow the guests to play the
games they wish to will cost about $700. Other services such as having dial up
connection in the rooms where the guests can call for assistance will cost $200.
Providing customized lighting devices to allow the guest to change the mood in their
room by adjusting the lights will cost $300, power plug-ins to allow the guest to

charge the many devices that they move around with will cost roughly $50. This
shows that the installation of in room technologies is very costly and capital intensive
(Clow, 2007).
The second weakness that in room technologies have relates to the maintenance
costs. It is expensive to maintain these gadgets as even if they have to be
customized to suit clients needs. Some of the guests may mess up with those
gadgets, which may result into added costs for repairs and maintenance. Providing
broadband and WIFI for the internet connections is another expensive affair (Zhang,
2001).
The other weakness is that the guest cannot use all these gadgets all at the same
time. This means that even if they are installed or in place some of the in room
technologies may remain unused for a long periods and that the hoteliers cannot
remove such gadgets, as they may not know the customers preferences. Also when
installing the in room technologies the hotelier has to install all the gadgets to ensure
that there are all gadgets in all rooms because one cannot predetermine the guests
preferences (Strokes, 2010).
The fourth weakness of in room technologies is that technologies are changing faster
and what is in use today is considered obsolete in the following years. This means
that the hotels have to keep on shopping and bringing in new technologies to suit the
dynamism of technologies and the fact that the consumers are also adopting new
technologies faster than it was previously. Meeting the guests’ expectations is
therefore a major challenge with the technologies (Zhang, 2010).
The second weakness of the in room technology is that they are at times perceived
as designed to infringe the guests privacy. Installation of CCTV and micro cameras
to monitor the guest in case there is an emergency or a situation that calls for the

hotel attendants. Such micro cameras infringe on guests privacy and guests do not
like places where they know that they are being monitored (Clow, 2003).
The other weakness s of these technologies is that they have diminished hotel
revenues in terms of costs such as communication costs. In the 1980’s the hotels
and guest rooms made huge amount of revenues from the calls that the guests had
to make on the telephone booths installed in the hotel. Currently, with the almost
every guest having cell phones and laptops such revenues have ceased (Strokes,
2010).
The in room technologies demand additional support services such the installation of
the enterprise resource planning by the administration. The enterprise resource
planning software are technologies designed to ease the operational costs and
activities by using one location software that is interconnected to all the devices and
computers in the organization. The software provides alerts when a device
malfunctions or when a guest is in need for particular service. They enable the hotel
to analyze the guests booked or particular rooms in advance and thereby provide the
necessary services and technologies that will suit that particular guest. Although the
support services are advantageous, they however pose a challenge as they present
additional costs. The most cheap enterprise resource software for the hotel industry
costs about $500. This makes the installation of in room technologies to have a huge
financial bearing on the business (Pickton, 2000).
Providing the in room technologies alone does not imply that the there will be
resultant increase in hotel room bookings immediately. This means that the company
has to continue to promote and market the hotel services as it did previously. The in
room technologies do not in way replace the traditional marketing methods. The
hotels have to continue their marketing and advertising programs for them to reach

out to the potential hotel guests. In many instances when the hotels do concentrate
on installing the devices, they starve their marketing budget, which results in low
sales volume, and eventual reduction of revenues even after the company has
invested its capital heavily in the installation of in room devices (Pickton, 2000).
Opportunities
The in room technologies present an opportunity of growth for the hoteliers who have
invested in these technologies, at a time when globalization has seen people
travelling from one place to another more than they have ever done previously. It is
estimated that over five hundred million people in the globe travel and that they have
spent their time in a hotel during travel. This figure will rise up by the year 2015 to
about seven hundred and fifty million people around the globe (Yang, et al 2000).
The hotel companies need to prepare for this increase by having in room
technologies already installed in the hotel rooms (Nicholas, 2007).
The second opportunity that the in room technology brings on board relates to the
fact that the economy will recover from the global recession and that there will be
more jobs and people will have disposable income. This will result in inversed leisure
activities and leisure and hotel industry must prepare to tap in to that opportunity by
installing different types of in room technologies that will appeal to the potential
guests (Gregory, 1997).
The baby boomer generation is retiring and the generation Y is now starting to enter
into the workplace. Soon they will have a lot of disposable income on their hands.
Since this generation choices of products and services is not because of loyalty but it
depends on quality, hype, and associations that the product or services provide. It is
imperative for companies that want to be relevant in future to start investing in the in

room technologies in order to tap into this wide upcoming market for the hotel
services (Morgan, 2006).
The increased business travel has presented a huge opportunity for hoteliers who
have the in room technologies. Hotels with state of the art in room technologies have
an added advantage in that many companies choose them as their preference or
their preferred hotel of choice during their travels. The increased and awareness
about business networking and trainings has seen many of the companies
sponsoring conferences and seminars for their staff in order for them to network and
interact with people from other companies. Such trainings and seminars include
business travel and in most cases, the hotel service providers selected are those
that have in room technologies to allow the workers to do their business in their
rooms as they continue with the seminars. This shows that the in room technologies
present an opportunity for hoteliers to exploit (Schultz, 2000).
The other opportunity is that there is increased appreciation of indoor recreation
where the guests or traveler prefers indoor recreation activates rather than outdoor
recreation. This is because most of the people prefer recreations that will give them
leisure and a chance to recuperate while keeping in touch with what is happening in
the outside world. Other forms of outdoor recreation like hunting, mountain hiking,
site seeing means that the guest or traveler may be alienated from the crucial
devices such as cell phones and laptops. This makes it hard for the guests to
appreciate such experiences and they prefer instances where they can engage in
recreation activities while at the same time engage in activities that will interconnect
them with the resources necessary in the development of appropriate resources
(Pickton, 2000).
Threats

The following are threats that the in room technologies present to the hoteliers. The
first one is that they threaten the robust activities of travel such as site seeing as they
lock the guest inside the room and deny the guest the opportunity to move around,
shop, and do other activities. The second major challenge presented by in room
technologies relate to the fact that in room technologies are expensive and that they
may not present an immediate financial results even after the installation of this
technologies. This calls for the development of the technologies commensurate with
the hoteliers’ capability to avoid losses and inability to fund other critical operations
of the hotel such as marketing and managerial operations (McDonald, 2007).
The technologies are changing rapidly and what is on offer today is usually obsolete
in the next two years. This is a major threat to the hoteliers who have to develop
mechanism of having up to date technologies, otherwise they may invest in particular
device that the future guests will find obsolete and out date (Morgan, 2006).
The other threat presented by in room technologies is that they make it hard for the
hotelier to decide on the best entertainment to provide to their guest as the guests
have different preferences. The hoteliers are thereby compelled to provide
customized devices and entertainment to suit the customer’s needs. This implies that
there will be additional costs to caster for this customization (Zhang, 2010). This
customization is risky as it may make some of the devices to malfunction. The in
room technology present a threat or they are endanger other in room or indoor
recreation such as swimming, pool tables and other indoor games that keep the
guests entertained in their rooms even with their rooms (Gregory, 1997).
The perception that some of the in room technologies interfere with the guest’s
privacy has seen the reduction of security concerned guests preferring hotels where
there are no such technologies. In room technologies such as CCTV cameras,

reduce the number of guests in the hotel rooms because guests do want to be
monitored (Zhang, 2010).
Due to the high costs incurred in the installation of in room technologies, some of the
hotels have resulted to overcharging the guest or by raising the prices of their
services beyond the current market prices. This results in low sales volume and it
affects the company negatively by resulting into low profits for the hotelier even after
investing heavily in the in room technology (Zhang, 2001).
Conclusion
In-room technologies are critical to the creation and the development of hotel profits.
The in room technologies interlink or are interrelated with the return on investment
that the company would have. There is need to ensure that in room technologies are
accompanied by well planned integrated marketing communications designed to
appeal to potential guest by portraying the advantages of in room technologies in
the guest rooms. The provision of such services is imperative in the development of
the hotel industry. By taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the in room
technologies, companies that will have this technologies will have an edge over their
competitors. It is not only important to adopt the in room technologies, it is also
important for the hoteliers to have the research and development projects where
they ensure that they research and develop technologies that will give the guests the
best experience possible. The hoteliers must learn how to balance between the
installation of the in room devices and recovering the initial investment slowly without
overcharging the guests as this has direct implication of leading into reduced sales
volume.

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