Samsung develops hotel management solution for the Gear S3 to help hotel staff communication

Samsung partners with hotel operations platform ALICE to develop a new hotel management solution centered on the Gear S3. This new solution aims to help hotel staff answer customer requests more efficiently and quickly. For example, when a guest has a request, employees from the relevant department will get silent vibration alerts on their smartwatches. The hotel employee can simply tap on the screen to acknowledge that they are taking care of the task, which also allows managers to track the request in real-time. It will benefit hotel workers (like those involved in room service, repairs, cleaning, etc.) that are always on the move and need both hands to complete their tasks.

The Viceroy Hotel Group was the one who brought the partnership about and they will first employ the solution at the Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills hotel before it comes to their other properties around the world.

Google hopes to help you out with your travel plans with new app updates

Google is making it easier for you to work out your last-minute travel plans this holiday season with an update coming to its suite of travel-related apps and services. First up is Google Flights. It makes use of its machine learning capabilities to let you know when is the best time to book a flight. When you select where you want to go, you can opt to have the apt let you know things like “price won’t drop further” or “prices are less than normal.” Now, if you want to search hotels, you can get similar information. Google will let you know if a room costs higher or if the surrounding area is busy because of a local event. You can even get the option to receive email alerts for when price fluctuates. Lastly, the Google Trips app, now has a new Discounts section. This’ll show you deals on everything from tickets, attractions, tours, and activities in the areas you plan to visit. The flight and hotel price tracking is rolling out worldwide, while the Discounts tab is coming to Trips app in English, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, and Spanish.

Source: Android Authority

Starwood Hotels & Resorts intros smartphone-powered keyless room entry

This latest news from Starwood Hotels & Resorts might put an end to one of the biggest pain points of travelling, which is glitchy magnetic door keys. SPG Keyless is the hospitality industry’s first mobile, keyless entry system allowing guests to use their smartphone as a key.

Rolling out to Aloft, Element and W Hotels around the globe, SPG Keyless makes its official debut today in 10 hotels in markets including Beijing, Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles and Doha. Hit jump to read more.

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Hilton to replace hotel room keys with smartphone-enabled locks

International mega hotel chain Hilton is looking to automate its check-in process by phasing out hotel room keys. Hilton plans to make its 4,200 properties smartphone-ready by 2016 with a US$550 million plan. They want to replace keys with smartphone-enabled locks that will be opened by codes sent to a guest’s smartphone. This method will also bypass the need for guests to head to the front desk to check-in. Just imagine how convenient this would be once it is up and running.

Source: Gizmodo