Fast Forward
Fact | Club CarlsonSM members can book their stay using mobile applications.
H o tl i ne Th e Am er i ca s | V211
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Testingg Ground
Technology gurus help boost revenue and customer satisfaction. | By Jennifer Chappell Smith
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hat if guests could forgo fumbling with the hotel phone and order room service from an app on their smartphone instead? What if they could breeze by the front desk upon arrival and check into their rooms using their iPads? And what if researching a hotel online were simpler? Those are the kinds of scenarios Carlson Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Steve Brown thinks about and looks to his colleagues to imagine and test. “I’m most excited about improving the customer experience while we drive revenue,” Brown says. “My hope is we can use technology to enhance guests’ stays. We want guests to have access to the latest in-room entertainment options, from Wi-Fi to Internet radio, along with the ability to interact with the hotel staff using the technology of their choice.”
Brown envisions a day when guests can signal for laundry service from their laptop, or report a maintenance issue on their iPhone. Already, some rooms at the new Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago, opening this fall, will offer an iPad for guests to use during their stay. Charged with helping hotels to generate more revenue and increase guest satisfaction, Brown and his teams are working on projects that include loyalty and brand website and mobile application improvements; revenue optimization through smarter tools and strategies; and better ways to leverage business data. “We want to shift more customer purchases to the Web,” says Brown. “It’s a high-priority item and integrates with the loyalty experience.” To help Carlson Hotels stay ahead of the competition, Brown is keeping the creative fires blazing.