Digital shift for Québec hotels

As technology is now central in our daily lives, hotels have acknowledged the need to adapt to the digital age and to include it in their services. It has even become an indispensable element in a company’s success, used for hardware keys, online reservations, management software, automated receptions, and voice assistants in rooms. “Alexa, let’s go to Charlevoix!”

Recently, guests of the Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu in La Malbaie (Charlevoix) have been able to use the new Alexa Smart Properties for hospitality system in every room. This was quickly implemented after the invitation launched last fall by Amazon to companies interested in collaborating with Alexa devices of the Echo Show 8 type. “We had no choice but to integrate digital technologies. We want to find interesting, innovative methods for quickly responding to customer requests,” explained Caroline Ouellette, Director of Sales and Marketing at Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu. This is the first deployment in Canada and it required about three months of work in collaboration with the Amazon team. The system’s questions and answers are limited at the moment, but it will be adapted in coming months. Customers can ask questions such as: “Alexa, how can I get to the pool?” The 405 rooms of the hotel also feature services such as asking for the weather forecast and listening to music.

Privacy And Security

The Fairmont Hotel and its partners guarantee full respect of privacy. “There are no cameras on the device nor is there sound capture. Additionally, the device is off when visitors arrive. It has to be turned on and then you consent to using it,” explained Caroline Ouellette.

This ensures that the system automatically deletes records. “They are anonymously compiled to provide hotel administrators with usage statistics that will then be used to fine-tune Alexa’s performance in the hotel. For example, we want to determine what questions are most popular and what the system was not able to answer,” she said.

REPLACE THE LABOUR FORCE?

While some are worried about technology replacing employees, Jean-Thomas Henderson, Professor of Management at the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ), recalls the importance of customer contact in the hotel industry.

“It will never replace a person, but it can facilitate multiple jobs, increase speed, accomplish tasks employees don’t enjoy doing, and more.” Technology is helping many companies address labour shortages and relieve service congestion. “In addition, planning, installing, programming, updating, and all the other steps that technology requires also create jobs,” he explained. Note that the highest number of vacancies is in the accommodation and catering sector, at 8.4% according to Statistics Canada. This type of technology can thus be used to maintain quality services despite having a reduced workforce.

“At the Fairmont, installing Alexa Smart Properties for hospitality means the receptionist can be replaced at certain times of the day. However, for more complicated questions, an employee will always be available,” said Ms. Ouellette. Many professionals are wondering just how far technology can take and transform the industry, but they are ready to get on board. While constantly evolving, this technology is already making a more personalized, sustainable, and efficient experience.

Hoteliers and travellers: Everyone connected!

Here are some figures from an Oracle Hospitality report titled Hospitality in 2025: AUTOMATED, INTELLIGENT… AND MORE PERSONAL. A total of 633 hoteliers and 5266 people from around the world were surveyed.

• 95% of those surveyed want to travel within the next 6 months;

• 73% of travellers want to use their mobile device to manage their hotel experience, including check-in and check-out, payment, food ordering, and more;

• 96% of hoteliers are currently investing in contactless technologies;

• 54% of managers surveyed want to eliminate mandatory reception.