Alicia Chong
Image credit: Swissotel The Stamford (Facebook)
Hotels in Singapore are certainly about to get pretty tech-y.
A new facial-recognition system, called E-Visitor Authentication, has been rolled out by three hotels in Singapore. Running via a smartphone app, the system allows users to scan their passports and send the data to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to clear them for check-in within minutes.
Facial recognition expected to reduce hotel check-in time by 70%
This new system is expected to reduce hotel check-in time by up to 70%, an estimated 11,000 hours of manual labour by front-office staff. According to Mr Marcus Hanna, general manager of Swissotel The Stamford (one of the pilot hotels), it also helps to eliminate paperwork.
Many other hotels can get on board with this system and the Hotel Industry Digital Plan (IDP) by approaching Singapore Tourism Board (STB). IDP will serve as a free guide to digital solutions and training processes that hotels can adopt.
Digital butlers, robot chefs & more
At the recent 4th Hotel Industry Conference on 8 November, 15 exhibition booths displayed an array of technological solutions for both front and back-end work in hotels.
Amongst the highlights is Dancing Tables, a robot that can move tables in a banquet hall to its designated spots, saving time in set-up and clearing up.
Wonderboy is a personal robotic butler which acts as a digital concierge chatbot and provides information about attractions and the hotel to guests. The chatbot can be accessed through Facebook messenger or the hotel’s Wi-Fi landing page. Hyatt International Group intends to expand its use of the robot to other hotels soon.
Image credit: GT Robot (via YouTube)
Outside of the conference, other hotels are also making waves with their usage of smart technology.
For example, M Social Singapore’s restaurant has a robot chef to cook eggs and Park Avenue Rochester Hotel has robots for housekeeping and luggage services.
Since 2013, Marina Bay Sands uses a housekeeping system named Optii Keeper which notifies room attendants of room statuses through a handheld device.
Tourism accounts for four percent of Singapore’s gross domestic product, adding up to $1.9 billion in the first half of this year. Numbers have been growing steadily since 2015 and is estimated to continue to grow.
With many other Southeast Asian countries also expanding into tourism, Singapore needs to continue to innovate in the industry to remain as one of the top draws for the region.
Also read: 30 Bencoolen – Singapore’s First Hotel with Smart In-room Solution Systems
