24 Shaping the Future of Luxury Travel | Future Traveller Tribes 2030
Innovations for low-touch and high-touch
Low-touch
Linen Technology Tracking has created a chip that uses Radio Frequency ID (RFID) technology to track the whereabouts of hotel room towels. The chip is read by sensors in the hotel room, and can be used by housekeeping to see if towels need to be replenished (ie, if they have been dropped on the floor rather than hung to dry). The idea is to gauge how often a guest would like their room serviced without asking them. Bluesmart has created a smart suitcase that can be monitored via mobile app. The case comes with tracking technology that combines 4G and GPS, meaning customers can tell if their case is on the plane with them before take‑off, and how far away it is from the carousel at Arrivals. This gives the customer greater autonomy and control over their luggage.
“Some clients don’t want to have long phone calls with us. Instead, we record audio files where we talk about the experiences we’re offering and send them to clients. Whenever they want, they just play the file on their phone and listen. If they feel like the experiences speak to them, they will engage with us, and say ‘please organise this for me’. At that point, we realise they are a low-touch traveller who wants us to organise their travel for them with minimum friction.” Marc Mekki, Founder, Ode to Joy
High-touch
“We have a WhatsApp number for reservations, used by our younger‑generation guests, and it’s
Etihad Airways offers Meet and Greet services for guests at Arrivals, during transit and at Departures at Abu Dhabi International Airport. The top-level Gold service provides a personal welcome upon arrival (with one staff member for every traveller), assistance through immigration and inclusive porter service from the baggage carousel to the airport’s exit.
particularly popular with Middle Eastern visitors. It’s fairly informal: they’ll message us and say ‘I’m coming to stay, what can you do for me?’ We’re probably one of the first hotels in London to do this.” Stefano Lodi, General Manager, The Wellesley, London
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