Marriott International has its sights set on offering guests a new “smart” experience that will enable travellers to customise their stays using mobile and voice-activated systems incorporated into their rooms.
Developed at the group’s Innovation Lab in collaboration with technology companies Samsung and Legrand, Marriott’s new IoT Guestroom Lab rooms feature Internet of Things (IoT) technology that enables various in-room appliances to communicate with one another.
For example, these systems allow guests to speak to a virtual assistant by voice or via an app in order to set a wake-up alarm, begin a morning yoga routine displayed within the room’s full-length mirror, request housekeeping services and start their shower at their desired temperature, with each of these preferences able to be saved in their customer profile.
“Partnering with Legrand and Marriott, we can offer users unprecedented levels of control and personalisation, thanks to our end-to-end IoT services powered by the ARTIK platform and the SmartThings Cloud,” said James Stansberry, senior vice president and general manager or ARTIK IoT at Samsung Electronics. “From intuitive lighting to voice-activated room controls, we’re delivering customisable, intelligent experiences that make our consumers’ lives more convenient, productive and secure.”
According to the hotel group, guests will begin seeing the technology in their rooms within the next five years, with new-build and refurbished properties both on the cards.
“Marriott has built two rooms in our IoT Guestroom Lab: one is a fully connected, completely immersive experience for new developments, while the other room is a refurbished concept that incorporates a few elements of the full IoT experience that some owners may want to include in current properties,” Karim Khalifa, Marriott’s senior vice president for global design told Business Traveller Asia-Pacific.
As for where travellers can expect to see this first, Khalifa says that will depend on owners and developers with no specific region expected to roll out the concept first.
“When it comes to IoT technology implementation, we are completely brand and region agnostic and will work closely with owners and developers on the right experience for them,” Khalifa added.
Marriott is not the only hotel group looking to add IoT technology to its rooms. Earlier this year, Grand Ambassador Seoul – part of Accorhotels’ Pullman brand – unveiled 25 new Smart Rooms that incorporate IoT technology in order to allow guests to control various room settings using their personal device after scanning a QR code.
