A new survey shows technology is the top priority of hotel operators amid the labor crunch.

Imagine stepping into a hotel lobby and breezing through a check-in powered by facial recognition technology. With a key in hand, your app-ordered room service is delivered promptly by a robot.

In some hotels this is already reality.

For instance, guests at integrated resort Marina Bay Sands can skip the queue and check in by scanning their faces and unlocking their hotel rooms with the same phone. In the Rolling Hills Hotel on the outskirts of Seoul, hotel guests can place their room service orders through Kakao Talk, a popular messaging app, and track their delivery by a robot in real time.

These technologies aren’t just enhancing the guest experience. They’re also addressing the labor shortage plaguing the hospitality industry.

As demand returns in the coming years, the acute shortage of workers needs to be urgently addressed, says Sashi Rajan, Executive Vice President, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group.

“What hotels are focusing on now is implementing actionable technologies to solve these challenges in the short term,” says Rajan. “The goal isn’t necessarily to restore the workforce to pre-pandemic levels, losing some of the relevant efficiencies gained, but rather to bring it back to a level where they can operate effectively to a required standard with the support of technology.”

As such, technology upgrades are the top priority of hotel operators in 2024, according to a recent JLL survey.

Key functions where hotels struggle to find talent, such as food and beverage and front desk, are expected to gain most from new technologies, according to Rajan.

Return on investment

Hotel operators measure their return on technology investment by how it improves the guest experience, particularly in terms of service efficiency.

Take international hotel chain Marriott. Hotel guests using its mobile app can chat with hotel representatives to make requests before, during and after their stay, offering a faster alternative to a phone call where there’s a chance of being redirected or put on hold.

“Technology embraces the customer’s psyche of communicating something when they need something,” says Rajan. “They are more likely to tolerate a slightly longer lead time once they feel that their requests have been heard.”

For hotel owners, the investment in technology is a sound business case that not only brings financial efficiencies, but also achieves a sustainable value proposition in their hotel assets, assisted by technology.

Productivity gains from these investments are crucial, especially in times of rising cost pressures. More than one in five operators across Asia Pacific expect labor costs to increase next year by at least 20% from pre-pandemic levels, according to those surveyed by JLL.

JLL is a leading professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. JLL shapes the future of real estate for a better world by using the most advanced technology to create rewarding opportunities, amazing spaces and sustainable real estate solutions for our clients, our people and our communities. JLL is a Fortune 500 company with annual revenue of $18.0 billion, operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of more than 94,000 as of March 31, 2020. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. For further information, visit jll.com.