Hotels have more technology than ever before, but sometimes I wonder if we’re actually making things less convenient for guests.

I was thinking earlier about the last few times I’ve stayed in a hotel. One was a DoubleTree by Hilton, and another was a Hampton Inn. Something I noticed at both properties was that when I turned on the television, it went straight to the regular TV channels.

There wasn’t a welcome screen, a hotel information menu, or anything like that.

It got me thinking about how hotels used to have those interactive television systems, where you could find out practically everything you needed to know about the property without ever picking up the telephone or leaving your room.

You could check your bill, find out what time the restaurants opened, look at the hotel amenities, and sometimes even check out right from the television.

Some of them had information about local attractions, shopping, and restaurants. You could order movies, and I even remember when some hotels offered video games through the television.

I always thought those systems were pretty neat.

I’m not sure exactly when they started disappearing, but I hadn’t really thought about it until recently.

Technology Is Supposed to Make Things Easier, Isn’t It?

I was talking about this with ChatGPT, and one of the things that came up was how much of this functionality has moved to smartphones.

Instead of accessing hotel information on the television, guests are increasingly expected to use an app, scan a QR code, or visit a website.

And I understand why hotels are doing it. Nearly everyone carries a smartphone these days, and maintaining those older interactive television systems probably wasn’t cheap.

But I wonder if we’re overlooking something.

The less friction there is between a guest and the information or service they need, the better the experience is going to be.

Think about it.

You’re staying at a hotel, and you want to know what time breakfast starts or when the pool closes.

Wouldn’t it be easier to turn on the television and have that information right there?

Instead, you might have to find a QR code, scan it, open a website, and then navigate through several pages to find what you’re looking for.

That’s assuming you even know where to look.

I don’t necessarily think that’s progress.

Hilton Is Actually One of the More Technologically Advanced Hotel Companies

What’s interesting is that Hilton, which owns both DoubleTree and Hampton Inn, has been pretty forward-thinking when it comes to technology.

They’ve invested heavily in digital check-in, mobile room keys, room selection, and connected-room technology.

And apparently, Hilton hasn’t abandoned interactive televisions at all.

In fact, the company has been expanding its Connected Room technology, which allows guests at participating properties to access personalized entertainment and other features through the television.

So perhaps the properties I stayed at simply hadn’t been upgraded, or they were using a more basic television system.

It does make me wonder how much the experience varies from one Hilton property to another.

You would think a company with that many hotels would want the guest experience to be fairly consistent, particularly when it comes to something as simple as accessing hotel information.

The Hotel Television Could Be a Great Marketing Tool

Something else occurred to me.

Hotels are always looking for ways to generate additional revenue, and the television seems like an obvious place to promote services guests might not even know are available.

Imagine turning on the television and seeing a nicely designed welcome screen with the hotel’s name, the current weather, restaurant hours, and information about the property.

Maybe there’s a section highlighting the restaurant downstairs, a special at the bar, or attractions in the surrounding area.

You could review your room charges, request housekeeping, or check out without having to call anyone.

It could even be personalized based on your reservation.

And none of this is particularly futuristic. Hotels were doing many of these things twenty or thirty years ago!

I would think that making services easier to discover and use would ultimately benefit the hotel as much as the guest.

Of course, the option to go straight to regular television should still be there for people who don’t want to navigate through menus.

Sometimes Newer Technology Isn’t Necessarily Better

I find myself thinking about this with a lot of technology these days.

We’ve moved so many things to apps and websites that sometimes we’re adding extra steps to things that used to be fairly simple.

I love technology, and I always have. I’m certainly not suggesting hotels should go back to the 1990s.

But I do think there’s something to be said for keeping the best features of older technology while taking advantage of everything that’s available today.

A hotel television doesn’t have to be just a television.

It can be an information center, a guest-services portal, and a convenient way to interact with the property.

And unlike a smartphone app, it’s already sitting there in every room, ready to use.

Maybe the interactive hotel television isn’t disappearing after all. Perhaps we’re just in a transition period where some properties have advanced systems while others have gone back to the basics.

Either way, I kind of miss those old hotel welcome screens.

They were a small part of the hotel experience, but I always enjoyed looking through them.

Sometimes the best technology isn’t the newest or most complicated. It’s the technology that makes something easier without making you think about it.

I think hotels would do well to remember that.

I was thinking earlier about the last few times I’ve stayed in a hotel. One was a DoubleTree by Hilton, and another was a Hampton Inn. Something I noticed at both properties was that when I turned on the television, it went straight to the regular TV channels.