Spear, Grethcen. Guiding Guests: RFID-enabled digital signs aid hotel nagivation.
HT Magazine, June 2007 http://www.htmagazine.com/HT/archive/0607/0607_09.html
In this Article, the Promotions Manager of the Hyatt Regency in Chicago discussed overcoming the challenges of signage in the largest Hyatt property in the world. Specifically, the Regency hosts 1,000+ large conventions/meetings each year, and it is important for guests unfamiliar with the Hotel layout to be able to find the right place to go,. This is where the signage comes in. Physical signs and easels that direct people to the right meeting area in the hotel can be costly and sometimes difficult due to last minute changes. To solve this problem, they needed a system that would be flexible and able to be updated with last minute changes. They’re contracted with AVT Communique to evaluate their needs and install high tech LCD displays that are interfaced to a central computer that can control the readouts on each individual screen. They installed Omnivex as software to be used to control the different LCD readouts. In the end they purchased a total of 55 LCD screens positioned throughout the hotel to help guests find their way to the right place. The LCD are equipped with RFID detectors, so when someone with an RFID tag approaches that display, the content on the screen will change to cater to their specific needs. This way, guests can view customized conference information.
I think this is a great idea. It has been in my experience that many large hotels are inherently confusing to navigate anyway, and sometimes it is very hard to find help with the staff because they are either very hard to find or you have to wait at the front desk to find assistance. Instead, using these displays, guests with RFID tags can find out all the information they need pertaining to them. This is a great article to go along with our group’s trend of convenience. Once again, technology is taking away the need for human interaction to find out information. It also is cost effective because it eliminates the need for costly signage that requires changing for every little event. I can see difficulty with this also, as I stated in my previous article analysis. Whenever you deal with wireless ANYTHING, there is the potential that it will not work properly, someone could approach a screen and nothing happens because of a miscommunication between the transmitter and tag. Also, it is also dependent on the one that inputs all this information. You must have a trained staff member or members who are fluent in using the software. These are things that happen when you integrate technology with humans
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2 comments:
I think this is a very interesting idea for hotels. I've never really been to a big hotel or had to navigate myself around one, so I guess I never realized that signage could be such a costly problem. I do think it would be trendy to use something like this, and it would reduce the tackiness of posters and cardboard signs around the buildings. However, I do agree with Mike that there could be a high potential of failure with these RDIF cards if they weren't programmed correctly or the signal wasn't picked up. (But I still think it's a cool idea!)
I actually almost did this article myself. I love this idea because although the technology can be costly, it definitely will pay off in the long run. Instead of having to prepare signage specifically for each event, (and this hotel has a lot of events) they can now program in the information to these digital signs. The fact that it connects with the guests RFID tag to show them the information they need is absolutely amazing. As long as the staff is trained properly in how to use the technology, it will save them a lot of work. The benefits definitely outway the risks, especially in big hotels that can be confusing to navigate through for first time guests. Great job!
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