Enhanced hotel gadgets
Ajay Khanna, Partner and CEO, Eagle Forgings, highlights the new tech products of the brand that gels well with hotels in current time.
CORRELATION OF TECH AND HOTELS
Hotel is synonymous to experiencing comfort, luxury and personal attention. We at Eagle Forgings, aim to deliver the same but extra too, in terms of performance and visual appeal, in the form of good design. For instance, our ‘MODA’ range is designed by an European Designer Jacob Jensen.
The product is extremely useful. These products are not just loaded with many features which makes it a must for hotel room, but its design enhances the beauty of the room and adds to its luxury feel. Similarly, the Domestic Minibars, are not just designed to look pleasing, but also boast the absorption technology which has made it stand-out in the segment. Cutting edge technology and silent design are both key elements.
The product offerings from Coffee Maker to Hair Dryer to Iron to Magnifying Mirrors are all designed to enable an impressive visual appeal in order to enhance guest experience.
USP Bittel, one of the leading manufactures of hotel phones, initiated application of technology to ensure better use for the landline phone in hotels. They wanted to offer hotel guests not just a phone, but a gadget which enhances their stay experience at the hotel. Bittel introduced a new line of designer phones under the name of ‘UM77’ and ‘MODA’ (which stand for Modern, Modular & Stylish), combining unique design and many useful features, all-in-one.
UM77, a unique product can be attributed as the first true multimedia phone and was a runaway success after its launch. Being compact, it does not use much space on the bedside table, thus leaving enough space for guests to store their personal belongings, while still providing a versatile gadget with multiple features.
The products are hotel-specific and come with full hotel certification for safety, security, fire and eco certification, which include CE, TUV, GS, ROHS, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 etc., as applicable.
TECHNOLOGICAL EVOLUTION
Technology is pervasive and the evolution of it is also catching speed. Landline phone is still an integral part of the hotel rooms and is a compulsory requirement, especially for guest contact and internal calls to Housekeeping, Front Desk, Room Service etc. It is mandatory for hotel rooms. Keeping up with technology advancements, Bittel brought ‘MODA’ to India.
‘MODA’ puts together multiple new features on a single device and it now no more remains ‘just a phone’. It has separate modules for charging mobilephones / devices, even with wireless charging FM Radio / Bluetooth / Dock, clock, speakerphone, voice recognition. Each of the above modules have been added keeping in mind a hotel guest’s needs of charging their cell phone/tablet, need of a clock, a dock with rich sounding speakers, need of a device to make calls and obviously, with the need of the hour, voice recognition feature to enable hands free usage to guests. Each module can be bought separate or together and can also be added at a later date.
CHALLENGES
One of the main challenges is early delivery. Due to the many challenges in India and the many unexpected issues that arise, quick deliveries often become a problem. Customers are requested to give ample time for deliveries.
HOTEL TRENDS IN INDIA
Adoption of top of the line tech enabled products is a little slow in India, when compared with hotels in Western countries, the challenges are related to commercials and renovation timing. Western countries adopt technology for manpower saving, whereas in India, good manpower is available at lower cost to a great extent and also, we provide great service to our guests, which is hugely appreciated. Personal attention in Indian hospitality is visible and goes with our culture and tradition.