Concierge tech will cater to cruise passengers
It will help crew members anticipate passengers’ needs.
LAS VEGAS — What if your room on a cruise ship were to unlock automatically as you approach, or if the wait staff could bring your favorite cocktail before you even ask?
Carnival Corp., the operator of such cruise lines as Princess, Holland America and Carnival, wants to make that happen so it can get cozier with its guests and make cruises even more personalized.
Carnival is using the CES gadget show in Las Vegas on Wednesday to unveil new concierge technology designed to help crew members anticipate and respond to passengers’ needs. It will rely on sensors and wearable trackers, and is scheduled to debut on the Regal Princess cruise ship in November.
The leisure-cruise industry is playing catch-up with travel peers like hotels and airlines, which now let you unlock rooms with a smartwatch or fly with a boarding pass on your phone.
Personalization is important as cruise ships get bigger and come across as impersonal, said Mike Driscoll, editor-in-chief of Cruise Week, an industry publication. Personalization can also help cruise companies attract more first-timers, including tech-savvy millen- nials.
“It’s catching up to what life is like on the land,” Driscoll said.
Whether anticipating guests’ needs will feel useful or creepy remains to be seen. Those who might be spooked don’t have to use the medallion or can limit how much they want to participate, Carnival CEO Arnold Donald said.
“In the end, the guests will tell us,” Donald said. “If it doesn’t (resonate), it’s back to the draw- ing board.”
The linchpin of the system is a tracking medallion the size of a quarter. Cruise passengers wear it as a pendant, throw it into a purse or place it in a pocket. The medallion uses wireless technologies to communicate with sensors placed around the ship, cruise terminals and even airports, where staff can provide personalized greetings as passengers fly in.
Crew members with tablets can respond to any needs nearby.