Treating a traveler as nothing more than a walking, talking, grab bag of preferences, attributes, and emotional buttons to be exploited for upselling will backfire on hoteliers. As Skift noted in January, a new skepticism about Big Tech has implications for travel. In the past year, gateway platforms to internet services such as Facebook, Google, WhatsApp, Twitter, and YouTube are facing blowback from consumers, media, and regulators for having abused their trust. Many consumers want to interact with hotels flexibly, whether by texting to request an early check-in or by unlocking their guest room with keyless entry powered by a mobile app.Īnother force for change is the age-old desire to cut labor costs through automation.īut in a surprise, the front desk may be wrenched out of the floor by something new - a backlash against Big Tech. Today, threats to the status quo are intensifying. Two reports sponsored by travel tech company Amadeus in 20 predicted that hoteliers would either promote or fire the front desk. Hotels no longer need a high barrier to keep robbers from stealing cash. It has merely ditched the bell and added a Dell. Yet the front desk of 2018 is much like the front desk of 1928. They no longer expect to find a sales counter when buying an iPhone at an Apple store. They have learned to skip the airline counter when flying. How could this antique setup defy so many trends?Ĭonsumers ignore the box office when booking tickets for a concert or a movie. The persistence of the front desk seems odd. Step into the typical 50- to 200-room hotel, and you’ll usually find a tall counter where a guest makes a deposit and picks up a room key. As technology continues to transform the hotel industry, one fixture remains a puzzling constant: the front desk.