what technology do you expect from your hotel?

I attended the HOT and Green Hospitality Conference this week and was surprised at a statement that was made regularly in the presentations about technology in the hotel room (TV, TV stations, Internet, etc.).

"Guests expect the hotel in-room technology to be as good or better than what they have at home."

I agree this is the way it used to be. It may even be true for some of the current guests from a higher age demographic (over 60). But based on my experience the hotel industry is catering to the 25 to 55 crowd, and the chance that it will have better technology than what that traveler has at home is slim...most likely none. The general population is more affluent and technologically advanced than ever before and will continue to be (even with our pending recession). The reality is many households already have a flat screen 32" TV (or bigger) and maybe an LCD flat panel. They have home theater with surround sound. They have a DVR. They have over 100 channels. They have a iPod docking station or component cables that connect their iPod to their surround sound. They have wireless Internet on 802.11b if not 802.11g and hard connect rates of 6Mbps to 30Mbps. When at home they check email, download from iTunes, listen to music, and watch TV (sometimes all at the same time).

For many (at least me) when they do stay in a hotel that has a cool new technology the first action after arriving home is to go buy one of equal or better quality (welcome to GenX and GenY). After all, if you can't keep up with a hotel you sure are not keeping up with the Jones. ;-)

But again and again I heard this statement and how hard it was to manage this problem. I have a solution...stop trying to manage the problem. It should not be a problem because hotels are not going to be able to surpass home technology in the room anymore. And besides, when I travel is it really an iPod docking station with movie surround sound that I want? No.

I think a good question is "What do you expect from your hotel?" For some the answer may be better technology, but the majority want something else.

As a self proclaimed technology evangelist here are the top 10 things I would like from my hotel room.

power outlets...lots of them
I want power...all over the place. I want four outlets next to the bed with at least two available for me. Oh, and they can't be in the lamp because sometimes my power supply won't fit (with the possible exception of on the top of the lamp base). I want four available outlets at the desk, and not so far under the desk that I have to be on my hands and knees to get to it. Better yet, stick a surge protector at the desk so my equipment is protected as well. I want absolute power...but absolute access to power will do.

FREE wireless Internet
Please give me FREE wireless Internet. This is quite possibly my biggest pet peeve when staying at a hotel. I get this feeling the hotel is yelling at me, "WE WILL MAKE YOU PAY!" I understand the plight of hotels that wireless Internet is expensive, especially if you already ran CAT5 to every room. But, I don't literally mean I want it free. I just want it included in my nightly rate. The perceived value of FREE cannot be understated. FREE Internet makes me feel like I'm getting something free even though I'm paying for it as a room rate. It makes me feel valued and that the hotel understands my desires. If you can't give me FREE wireless Internet then at least give me FREE Internet. Oh, and in that case I want a 20 foot CAT5 cable so I can wander all over the room (this was actually provided by Adam's Mark this week). The speed of the Internet is really lesser of an issue than getting it FREE. (I'll cover that topic in a post in the near future.)

a remote control that works
I want a TV remote control that works. It needs to work when I hit the power button, when I hit the volume button, and when I hit the channel button. I should not have to point it at crazy angles to turn the TV off and on. It should work exactly like my universal remote at home, which is a basic remote but it works every time.

let me see the TV
I want to see the TV from the bed or the desk. If Chrystal is traveling with me then I want her to be able see it from the bed and me from the desk. The room should be arranged so I don't have to drag the desk over in order to work and watch ESPN at the same time.

good lighting
I want to see at the desk and see in the bathroom. The switch to more energy efficient lighting is awesome and I'm all for it. But if it means my wife has to turn on every light in the room while standing near the window in the morning to put on her makeup then we have kind of defeated the point. Give me good lighting in those two areas and I'm happy...so is Chrystal.

iron and ironing board
What's with the new trend of having to ask to have an iron and ironing board delivered to the room? I want and need an iron, and it is usually at the last minute. If I have to wait 10 minutes for it to be delivered then I'm late for my meeting. "I thought I had an iron" is worse than "The dog ate my homework."

odor free room
I do not want my room to smell like an ash tray, a restaurant kitchen, my high school locker room, or an industrial cleaning product. I want an odor free room. It should smell like a clean room (read no smells).

hot water
I want hot water. Not "hot enough" water, but real hot water. I like to take a really hot shower so I want really hot water. And while I'm on that I want the same water pressure I have at home. I have flow control faucets but I still get enough water pressure to enjoy it.

room to room privacy
I don't want to hear what the guest in the next room is watching on TV or what deal he is trying to close on the speaker phone. I don't care and it invades my privacy. I expect privacy way before I expect a flat panel TV that is bigger and better then mine at home.

clean sheets and a fluffy towel
If I need fresh bed linens or towels I want the service staff to recognize it when they are cleaning the room. I'm fine if the standard is to change the bed every other day and that I reuse a towel. I use a towel probably 5 times at home and change the sheets when it seems reasonable (or Chrystal changes the sheets really). And my towel should not scratch me when drying off out of the shower. It should be soft and feel like a towel should feel.

extra pillows
I want extra pillows in the closet. I may never use them but I want extra pillows.

FREE coffee with real cream and sugar
"Again with the FREE," you say! I want FREE coffee with real creamer and sugar. Provide Mini Moos (half-and-half that does not need to be refrigerated) as it is way way way way better than powdered-non-dairy-gross-creamer. Oh and I'm a coffee snob so I don't want Folgers. I doesn't have to be Peet's but give me something in the middle. The perception that I'm getting good coffee FREE makes me feel great. Don't you love feeling great?!

clean room
I want a clean room and bathroom. I want it to look like it was vacuumed and scrubbed just for me. I don't want toe nails in the bathroom corner. I don't want candy wrappers under the bed. I don't want someone else's used tissue in the trash can. And I never again want someone's underwear between the bed sheets (yes that really happened).

The reality is I want the same normal comforts I have at home but be taken care of like I'm special. Eating out and having someone pick up after me is a luxury, so do that really really well.

alarm clock that works in the dark
I want to see the alarm clock. Oh, and yes especially when the room is dark. I'm impressed if the clock is sleek, artsy, and black. I'm unimpressed if I can't see it when I need to. If I want to know what time it is when I'm up and around I'll look at my watch or my phone. I don't want to search for my watch or phone in the dark. I want to see the glow-in-the-dark-big-huge-glowing-digital-clock.

attentive staff
I want better service. Pick up the phone at the front desk after no more than three rings. Have a concierge service that knows about local restaurants and which ones are good.

Do this better than everyone else and I may stay at your hotel (so will many many others). And if you have technology better than mine bonus for me. But the next time I stay most likely my technology will be better than yours.

The hotel-room-of-the-future project may disagree with me, but I'm betting my home technology will better in 2010.