Smartphones provide many advantages for the tourism industry, though hoteliers have been slow to recognize this. Smartphone applications allow hotels to offer personalized services to guests and form partnerships with local businesses. This gives customers independence and quick access to information. However, smartphones also have disadvantages like discrimination against non-users and over-reliance on the devices. The future may include smartphone applications replacing ID cards and using augmented reality to share information about strangers.
2. Mobile outlookDuring the conference, severalgueststold aboutsmartphones and how they are used by the actors of thetourismindustry.Hoteliers are not yetreallyaware of this new trend. Buttheyreallyshouldbeaware of the benefits of such a toolon theirresults.Smartphone applications are easy to use, fast and secure. For example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf-V7xk6AkAthisvideo shows the multiple advantages ofsmartphone applications in order to finduseful places near a hotel.
3. AdvantagesIn a few years, everyonewill have a smartphone, so no more problem of 束discrimination損Smartphone allowshoteliers to provide more personalizedservicesApplications canallowhotels to makepartnershipwith service providers in their areas, such as restaurant, leisurecenters or banks. The interests for both parties is to be visible in eachother applicationCustomersfeel more independant and have access to more pieces of information quiclkyNew way to travel: touristscanget all the information theyneed about a particular place in theirownlanguagesSee the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARi03GxVvZYApplications provide real time services
4. DisadvantagesFor the moment, thereis a kind of discrimination for people withouta smartphoneApplications limits the human contact betweencustomers and hotelemployeesPeople rely to much on their phone. If the phone runs out of batteryor if itisstolen, people are totallylostThis type of toolrequires a constant access to internet and network, whatis not availableeverywhereSmall screens are a kind of limitation becausesmartphones display a large amount of information in a small format That article http://sungtaileecomm301.blogspot.com/2009/03/disadvantages-of-smartphone.htmlsums up wellsome of the smartphonesdisadvantages
5. Whatis the nextstep?Nowthat services are more and more personal and thatpeople are more and more involved in the serviceprocess, wecanwonderwhatwill come next?Here are some suggestions:Application that replace ID/passeport Application that uses augmented reality to read information about people thatyou cross on the street (CV, interests, )Application thatwilldetectelevators and call it for youwhenyouapproach an elevator