For athletes of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the trips involved… robots. Everywhere. these machines noodles prepared and served, rice and burgerset walked the halls to take temperatures of passers-by. They even passed the Olympic flame underwater. Yet even if you’re not an Olympian, your travels these days are far more likely to involve technology that you have never used before.
Numerous of these technological advances were spurred by early pandemic pressure for contactless payments, catering and more. For example, between February and March 2020 alone, Mastercard saw the number of contactless payments at the grocery store stores grow twice like fast as contactless transactions. Meanwhile, the number of active Restaurants on food delivery app Uber Eats grew by over 75% between December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2020.
So what you found scary or cool olympic robots, technology seeps into travel in a way which most travelers find extremely beneficial. Whether shortening queues or helping travelers save money or eliminating the need get inside six feet of others, here are some of top travel technology developments in 2022.
Applications to book hotels, rooms
Most major hotel chains have long had free apps with features like reservation and live cat, but many have recently gotten big-time improvements.
Last summer, Hilton launched a feature which allows you to book and instantly confirm Connecting rooms on son application and websitewhich proved to be particularly useful for groups.
Its application also can display a map of the hotel and allow it’s up to you to select your exact room of choice, whether it’s the quiet room furthest from the elevator or the one close for easy access.
Digital room keys
Some apps serve as digital reception, which then allows you at use your smartphone and smartwatch as digital keys. For example, digital keys in Hyatt’s mobile application use Bluetooth technology to allow you to open your hotel room with your phone at more more than 600 hotels worldwide.
This past December, Hyatt made even things easier for Apple users by becoming the first hotel brand to offer room keys in Apple Wallet. In some Hyatt hotels, you are no longer need to open the Hyatt app; instead you can tap your iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock the rooms.
At Hilton, which offered digital keys to some extent since 2015, last year saw a huge update in Digital Key Share, which allows more than one invited to have digital access. the feature East currently available about 80% of Hilton hotels worldwide.
To get up of virtual Waiting lines
In January, Clear, a private biometric screening company that allows paying members to bypass certain security lines at busy areas such as stadiums and airports, announced that he had acquired another company designed for reduce expect times – Why line. The acquisition could allow Erase to improve virtual Waiting lines for process like check the status of vaccines or access airport lounges.
Meanwhile, Disney rolled out a feature in son american theme park apps last October called Genie, which is meant to help vacationers better plan their day. By analysing current lines and crowdsil can suggest more efficient routes.
What is room service?
food delivery apps recently disrupted room service by delivering food from across town – and eliminating the need pay $10 for a bowl of room service cereal.
Hotels are considering the idea of let other companies deal with it. For example, Hyatt has launched a pilot project program with GoPuff snack delivery service in 2021 to deliver pre-packaged, hot meals to rooms at select Hyatt Places locations. Hyatt says the program was successful, and has since grown to become more nationwide properties.
Robotic food delivery
Speaking of food delivery, daily of expect in long airport restaurant the lines may have disappeared. apps like At your doorstep allow it’s up to you to order, pay and pick up airport restaurant food participants.
More recently, AtYourGate is testing services where you don’t even have need physically grab your food. Instead, robots bring it to you. A pilot program who launched in September has robots roaming around the airport international from Los Angeles, bringing food directly to your portal.
Car rental
The location car the industry has been brutal for travelers at times, but peer-to-peer car-sharing alternatives are multiplying, offering consumers with more choices.
In the United States, Getaround cars can be reserved on an hourly basis, and there is no need meet up with the owner to exchange the keys. Cars are reserved and unlocked via an application. Getaround expanded to Hawaii in the end of 2021, marking the 10th state that Getaround added at son wallet in 2021 and the 22nd state in son history.
