When the $285 million Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center opens this month, it will be the most technologically advanced hotel in town.
To help the expected throngs check in and out quickly, the hotel is installing five self-service kiosks in the lobby. Similar to what airlines offer, the kiosks allow guests to insert a credit card, pull up their room reservations and make decisions such as the type of bed wanted. The kiosks, which cost roughly $12,000 each, will then send out key cards and receipts.
It will be the first Hyatt to have the kiosks built into its front desk, said hotel general manager John Schafer.
“We’re introducing the newest technology,” he said. “We’re cutting edge.”
In the next six months, the machines will also be able to print boarding passes to flights at Denver International Airport. And within a year, guests will be able to check into the 1,100-room hotel remotely, either online or through personal digital assistants.
The Hyatt Regency also purchased two mobile self-service kiosks that can be stationed where needed, such as in front of its 30,000-square-foot Centennial Ballroom, to help expedite the check-out process for guests in a rush.
While several major chains are introducing such technology, the Hyatt Regency is the first Colorado hotel to put it to use, said Ilene Kamsler, president of the Colorado Hotel & Lodging Association.
“As the customer gets used to it, I think it’s going to become more and more commonplace,” she said. “The business travelers in particular are used to technology. It doesn’t frighten them at all.”
The Hyatt Regency also has purchased two similar moveable stations where guests can pay remotely for valet parking services or time spent in the 600-space parking garage.
“When 1,000 people are leaving the hotel at midnight and all want their cars at the same time, it will certainly speed up that flow,” said Lance Marrin, executive assistant manager of the rooms division at the hotel.
When the Hyatt Regency opens Dec. 20, it will feature more than 1,200 LCD flat-screen TVs and wireless Internet in all its rooms, which average about $200 a night. Seventy-two larger suites, which rent for up to $5,000 nightly, will come equipped with iPod docking stations and speakers.
And when hotel employees need to converse among themselves, they can chat on 125 radios equipped with text messaging that can be translated between English and Spanish.
Schafer stressed that customer service is still the main focus of the high-tech hotel. It will still have a staffed front desk and concierge station for those who want a personal touch.
“We’re in the business of taking care of people,” he said. “We want to make sure that the guest service component never gets lost.”
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-820-1592 or jdunn@denverpost.com.
