As the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show rolls on in Las Vegas Tuesday, there is no shortage of critically important technologies and marketing concepts on display for hospitality and gaming industry executives to take in and emulate.
Once again, an array of casino, gaming and hospitality professionals are in town for this year’s CES and there’s much to learn right out of the gates.
So what, for starters, can hospitality and gaming companies take away from CES 2015? If anything, it’s a better understanding of what’s happening (with or without their comprehensive understanding) across their respective industries today.
“Hotel brands are banking on the boutique hotel boom with a grassroots push toward authentic, local experiences (Ace Hotels’ 3D printing event during Fashion Week in New York City, Marriott’s experiments with Oculus Rift virtual journeys), highly branded communications (see Virgin anything), and the necessity for storytelling at every touch point and price point (such as Morgans Hotels’ content strategy and Joie de Vivre),” says Corey Lewis of Brand Channel.
“The strategy is seen at individual operators and major players, and has biased digital in recent years,” she continues. “This June, Hilton announced the launch of their Curio collection, each ‘hand-picked for its distinctive character.’ They stress ‘Individuality’ in their portfolio, because ‘It’s what unifies the hotels in the Curio collection.’ This need is strong enough to demand significant resources: Starwood recently opened the Starlab Innovation Center in New York City, where brand, creative, and technology staff reimagine their offers in immersive spaces dedicated to each of their nine brands.”
The evolution of the loyalty program is also apparent this year.
“It’s no surprise that the eureka moment that loyalty programs presented in the late 1980s, and then disrupted by Starwood industry-changing ‘no blackout date’ SPG program in 1999, has captured the minds of consumers and companies,” Lewis concludes. “But as every major hospitality brand offers its own version, the saturated supply has created new demand. Consumers are looking for more than points: in exchange for their loyalty (and their data), they’re seeking extra-personalized service powered by technology and engagement like Kimpton’s Karma rewards program, or relevant perks like Marriot’s beacon-activated, geo-targeted loyalty offers. The ‘Hospitality 2015’ report published by Deloitte even predicts, ‘A game-changing approach to loyalty programmes [that] will be seen across all segments.’”
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