M2M Communications and Its Impact on Hospitality

Summary

This article describes a new trend now being used in the hospitality industry called M2M Communications or machine-machine communications. Since its arrival it has mostly been used in the healthcare and transportation industries but has recently been implemented into different areas of the hospitality industry. M2M communication takes information from devices like cameras, sensors, and meters and transmits it into software that interprets and responds to the information. In the hospitality industry it can be used in video surveillance to alert the security desk or local police department of an emergency. It can also be used in hotels and restaurants in point-of-sale applications like charging a meal to your room with your key card. A major way it is being used is to cut utility costs and moving properties toward being “green”. The M2M can help conserve water and energy by responding to when utilities need to be used and when they can be turned off because of non-use. Finally, it is used for room automation to service guests but also cut down on energy use. For example, M2M communications will know when a guest enters their room when they swipe their key. The key swipe will be connected to the air conditioning unit and can turn on the air conditioning as soon as the guest enters the room. This process is convenient for the guest and will also save the energy that could be wasted by keeping the air on when a guest is out of the room.

Reflection

I think that this technology is extremely useful for the hospitality industry. It can be used to improve the service to guests and cut costs for the hotel or restaurant. Many hotel guests, I included, appreciate small things that make a trip more enjoyable. Things like a door opening automatically and being able to charge to the room without making individual payments throughout the trip save time for a guest. I think this technology also addresses another big trend we’ve been noticing across all industries. Going “green” is something that has become important to a lot of people. If a restaurant or hotel can advertise that it is using the M2M technology to conserve energy and the environment that could help attract customers who rank that as a major concern. If I were deciding between two hotels that had exactly the same ratings and prices I would choose the hotel that made a point to conserve the environment over one that did not. Going green means conserving energy, conserving energy means saving money. If the M2M communication became an industry wide requirement I think it would save a lot of businesses a lot of money. It seems to me that there are so many advantages to using M2M communication in a company. The initial costs could be high for installation but in my opinion the savings in the long run as well as the improvement it could offer in services to the customer could offer any business a competitive advantage.

Kumar, Ashok. “M2M Communications and Its Impact on Hospitality.” Hospitality Upgrade. Summer 2010. http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/magazine_Detail-ID-529-M2M-Communications-and-Its-Impact-on-Hospitality.asp