It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that most of us are aware of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) by now. If you don’t know what RFID is, here is what you’d know:
“It is an automatic identification and data capture technology that uses radio frequency signals (completely wireless) to receive data from tagged items”.
In simple terms, RFID uses a tag that is attached to an article, the tag/transponder is encoded with data which could be a unique id, item details etc, and when in range with a RFID reader, it emits the data for the reader to make sense and show that to end users. But its application is varied.
Various businesses like Walmart, H&M, Zara etc. have been using RFID system to gain a competitive edge over others, but why not the hospitality sector then?
RFID in Hospitality Sector:
Hospitality sector was at the brink of collapse during the long pandemic across the world, but people have just started to go out, stay in hotels, visiting restaurants, going for dine-ins and doing all sorts of things that people do when they feel safe to go out but the pandemic changed something as well. It changed the consumer behaviour. It changed how people interact with hospitality providers.
It created a demand for automation in various sectors and hospitality could not remain unaffected.
From access control to parking, hotel room entry, hotel lobby access, recreation, pool area access, security and billing, people want automation and they want to feel safe while enjoying these facilities.
RFID for enhancing customer experience:
RFID can unlock several personalizations for customers that enhance the customer experience and remove friction for guests. From personalized access cards to rooms, locker, lobby and pool area to RFID membership cards for clubs and bars, the opportunities are unlimited. Hotels can reduce time wastage at check-in counters, enable room service and customize room lighting that can be accessed by guests using RFID smart cards. RFID tags can be attached to customer belongings and customer can have real time updates on check-ins and check-outs.
In the age of Instagram and Pinterest and TripAdvisor, providing great customer experience is paramount, especially for hotels that have several branches in various cities across the globe like Marriott, Taj Hotels, Raddison Blu etc.
By keeping track of inventory, hotels can provide better room service to visiting guests and make the visit wholesome for their guests as well. All of this can be achieved by implementing RFID.
Improving security in Hospitality:
From improved parking management, access to parking areas, and hotel premises to identifying guests and unwarranted individuals, hotels can improve the security of staffs and guests by using RFID system.
In addition to that hotels can secure the valuables belonging to guests and even the hotel itself from being stolen or getting misplaced as well. RFID tags can be attached to valuables and the hotel can keep track of such items to cut losses and improve customer experience altogether.
Theft prevention is not the only concern for hospitality industry when it comes to security and safety. Many hotels have been victim of unwarranted entry and gun shootings/ terrorist’s attacks as well.
In year 2008, India’s Taj Hotel was under attack by terrorists that barged in and started shooting people at the hotel premises. Many US city hotels suffer from such incidents on regular basis. Florida, Queensland saw recent cases of gun violence at hotel premises as well.
It’s not that RFID can solely prevent such incidents but access control using RFID can limit such incidents to a great extent.
To conclude, RFID can introduce a great degree of automation and enhance customer experience which is very important for attracting customers post pandemic. RFID can also improve security and prevent losses for the hotels as well.
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