The modern traveller expects more from a hotel than a comfortable bed and a good location to enjoy local entertainment and see the sights. Hotels that can offer more than the standard amenities can attract a wider range of guests and digital solutions play a big part in this.
Hotels with bars and restaurants have been able to generate additional revenue from these services for many years but the hospitality landscape is changing and many hotels have started to explore more ways to boost their revenue, including leveraging tech solutions.
These are some of the ways that hotels have opened up new digital revenue streams:
Apps and Platforms for Upselling Services
Hotels often offer apps that guests can download to manage their booking and plan services that they want to use during their stay. This goes far beyond websites for booking rooms, guests can now plan their whole tri[p with apps that allow them to add spa treatments, book restaurant times and order room service. Some hotels even extend to partnerships with excursion booking companies, transfers and hair and beauty salons.
Offering these additional services helps to ensure that the hotel can cater for everything their guests require during their stay. It also encourages loyalty, with many apps also having a rewards scheme where the guest receives discounts or complimentary services when they book a certain number of times.
Hotels can also use the app to send marketing messages to invite their guests to make upgrades such as a sea view or to order flowers and champagne to mark a special anniversary or event. This provides the hotel with more opportunities to upsell their services after the booking has been made.
Smart Rooms and Non-Contact Check-Ins
Many hotels have started to incorporate smart technology into their setup. This includes smart TVs that guests can download movies to or order minibar items. Smart tech also controls mood lighting, automated curtains and lighting. Automatic temperature adjustment allows hotels to save money on energy costs, while offering guests the choice to do check-ins on digital screens rather than with a concierge service helps to reduce operational costs or can free staff up for other elements of service.
Hotels can also use smart tech to provide a more personalized service for guests, displaying welcome messages on a screen with their name and recommending services that they may have booked before if they are returning guests.
Smart tech also appeals to guests who are tech-savvy and eco conscious people who want to minimise the impact on the environment when they stay at a hotel, as this matches their lifestyle preferences.
Casino Rooms
With the capabilities of digital tech, Canadian hotels do not need to install casino tables to offer a casino experience to guests. Games like video poker and roulette can easily be installed and many hotels provide a similar experience to playing at online casinos in Canada to expand entertainment options without the cost of building an entire physical casino.
While enjoying casino games, guests can use apps or screens installed in the room to order drinks or snacks to boost revenue further. By adding casino rooms, hotels can prevent the situation where guests leave the hotel to visit a casino or find another form of entertainment. It also means that casino fans are less likely to book a casino resort as an alternative, as they will have the option to play casino games at the hotel.
Advertising Brands
Hotels are also increasing revenue by partnering with brands that they advertise within the hotel on TVs in hotel rooms and in reception areas. They get paid a regular fee for promoting brands including local tourism companies and restaurants. The partnership might also include a discount for guests and the hotel receives a payment for every booking that comes through their advertising.
They also might use the Wi-Fi login page as an advertisement opportunity, so that any guests using the complimentary Wi-Fi receive information about brands who then pay them a fee in return.
These are just a few examples of how hotels are boosting their revenue by harnessing different tech-driven opportunities but over the next few years, there will be even more examples as digital capabilities increase and guests’ expectations also rise.
Smart tech will get smarter, the user experience provided through apps will improve and more digital entertainment options will be available for guests to enjoy either from their room or throughout the hotel’s communal areas.
Hotel Speak
2026-03-19 10:51:00