I blundered into a hotel lobby this week, the kind of place that usually bangs on about “bespoke stays” and “curated guest journeys” in its marketing collateral. I was looking for that high-touch welcome, that intuitive connection we keep insisting is the future of our trade. Instead, I was greeted by the new face of hospitality: the kiosk.
Now, let’s be clear. This shiny bit of hardware had absolutely no idea who I am, and frankly, it didn’t give a damn. We’ve been sold the line for years that these things are the ultimate “queue busters.” Well, irony of ironies, I had to line up to use the bloody thing.
Meanwhile, the receptionist—who seems to have the new “cool kid” job in the building—politely watched on while I did the heavy lifting. It was like having the FOM hovering over a trainee, making sure the troops are on track, except I’m the one paying the bill.
As I stood there tapping away, it occurred to me what I was losing. Instead of soaking in the lobby atmosphere, getting oriented, or quickly checking a few messages while my hosts handled the admin, I was forced back into a role I haven’t played since I was actually working on reception in the 80s.
It was a total nostalgia trip, but not the good kind. Enter first name, last name, retrieve booking, confirm details. Now, you even get the “privilege” of paying in full in advance—the house always wins, eh? I even got to cut my own key. The memories of the night shift came flooding back, but last I checked, I wasn’t on the payroll for this stay.
We keep talking about adding real value and leveraging tech to free up staff for “meaningful interactions.” But if the “interaction” is just a staff member watching me perform data entry, we’ve missed the mark by a mile. Is this really what we’re about?
If this is the industry’s version of personalization, it’s certainly not working for me. We’re automating the soul out of the arrival and calling it progress. I’m all for the art of the possible, but right now, the reality feels a lot like I’m just an unpaid clerk in my own holiday.
Life is so tech. I hope you are enjoying your new job.
