Award-winning gadgets that allow hotel guests to be constantly logged on are all part of improving service standards. Rebecca Lo discovers a whole new side to room services.

Today's travelers are more difficult to please than ever before. A lot of that comes from expectations. We assume we can remain connected to family and friends back home wherever we go. We get frustrated when WiFi is an extra charge on our hotel bill. We want to use our own devices so that we don't have to learn and relearn with every new hotel we stay in.

And we want connections that are fast and reliable, with hotel support that is knowledgeable and friendly if we run into any snags.

Hotel Icon, the teaching arm of Hong Kong Polytechnic University's School of Hotel and Tourism Management, recently launched an international competition, Tomorrow's Guest rooms, to solicit the best gadgets available specifically for hospitality usage.

The online competition ran from January to February on its website earlier this year, with 20 entries proceeding onto prototype stage for consideration.

Eight winners were determined by a committee of judges; chaired by Terence Ronson of Pertlink and coordinated by Dr Basak Denizci Guillet, professor at PolyU's SHTM. Students, professors and hoteliers all tested the products to help determine the winners.

"This was our first competition and the response from the industry was overwhelming," says Guillet.

Their products were then integrated into three guestrooms in Hotel Icon and can be booked through the school for anyone interested in staying in one of these rooms of the future. The award-winning products are available for use in the rooms until the end of this year.

All of the winning products have been seamlessly integrated into the rooms to be as unobtrusive and intuitive as possible. Upon entering the room, guests will be treated to a full explanation of how each gadget works by trained staff.

"Tomorrow's guests are already here," believes Ronson. "Every person staying in a hotel wants to be connected and in control. The trends that we saw through the products started within the home and became part of people's lifestyle."

"If guests find a useful product in a hotel room, they will mention it on Trip Advisor," says Richard Hatter, Hotel Icon's general manager. "We have already seen through Trip Advisor postings that guests love the design of our rooms and the overlay of useful technology. One guest told me that he never turns on the TV - he only uses his iPad. Guests want products that are intuitive.

"People like things like a familiar radio station from their home country - or connections that can pick up those signals clearly. The gadgets provided have to be relevant to their lifestyle. And most prefer using the personal devices they have brought along. They don't want to learn how to use something just for a two- or three-night stay."

Along with the verbal explanation, a leaflet is available in each of the rooms to explain the finer details of each product.

"Hotels are behind the airline industry when it comes to gadgets," believes Hatter. "For us, start-up costs are big." Hotel Icon's initiative helps operators to determine which gadget fits their brands and budgets, as they can personally test them out in a real-life, real-time environment before committing to purchases.

"For example, with the smart fridge concept, we can see what guests like and fine tune how minibars are stocked," says Ronson. "We can determine how and when they empty the minibar, leading us to better understand guest behavior."

"Some of the submissions, such as Fingi's Guest Communication Center, only had one prototype at the time," Ronson notes. "Over the next few months, we will have hoteliers tour and stay in the rooms. There has been a lot of interest in them."

"At the end of the day, we are selling sleep," says Hatter. The gadgets help make their stay more easy-going, enjoyable and homey. They can get as close to the experience of staying in the comfort of their home as possible while also enjoying their destination with up-to-the-minute information.

"We see Hotel Icon as a living, breathing experiment that will always be changing," says Ronson.

Due to the success of Tomorrow's Guestrooms, there are already plans for future competitions initiated by PolyU, including bathrooms of the future and entertainment of the future.

Contact the writer at sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily USA 10/03/2013 page15)