The Emily Morgan San Antonio – a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel is recognized by Historic Hotels of America for many reasons. Built in 1924, the 13-story Gothic Revival building with ominous gargoyles overlooks the Alamo and is said to be home to ghostly figures that roam its halls and cause strange occurrences. Travelers with faint hearts who want to avoid middle-of-the-night phone calls with no one on the other end, unexplained noises coming from unoccupied rooms, doors that close without being touched and apparitions walking the halls will soon be able to learn about the property’s ghostly history via Hotel Communication Network’s (HCN) new in-room Navigator 2.0 tablets.
Our AAA Four Diamond hotel is the second most photographed property in Texas.
said General Manager Kole Siefken. The third most haunted hotel in the world USA Todaythe building originally served as the city’s Medical Arts Building, with a morgue, crematorium and psychiatric ward. While I have not personally witnessed any supernatural occurrences — such as nurses pushing gurneys through the hallways, screams in the former psychiatric ward or soldiers loitering in the lobby, as guests attest — the Emily Morgan remains a major draw for ghost hunters and history buffs alike. It’s also a major draw for leisure, business and bleisure travelers looking to shop and dine along the San Antonio River Walk, and for those who need to be near the Henry B. González Convention Center, just a few blocks away.
While history is a huge attraction for us, we need modern technology to deliver a memorable and engaging experience that keeps guests coming back.
said Siefken. We chose HCN’s Navigator 2.0 tablets to communicate the features and benefits of this hotel. The tablets not only provide guests with access to services and amenities at their fingertips, but also enable our operations teams to connect across departments to improve our response times to customer requests. Today, we only communicate with guests in person or via text message. But soon, Navigator 2.0 will be our digital directory, a 24-hour room service menu and ordering platform, and the place where guests can request a late checkout, activate do not disturb alerts, or decline daily housekeeping. Tablets are familiar to almost everyone, and we know our guests will love using them—maybe even to watch reality TV shows. Ghost Adventure which was filmed on location.
Digital all-in-one device
The cloud-based Navigator 2.0 platform offers real-time language translation to make two-way communication effortless. It’s a modern approach to guest engagement and revenue growth that gives operators the ability to update and self-manage content as often as needed throughout the day. With a Netflix-inspired interface, the look and feel of the content is compelling, drawing people to click around, discover the on-site services and amenities, and spend more money on-site. The tablets sit on a Bluetooth-pairable speaker base with high-quality sound, USB A&C charging points, and stunning HD graphics. The speaker base can also serve as a voice assistant, allowing guests to request services and amenities and report issues via voice command.
The design of the Navigator 2.0 is fantastic,
said Siefken. It will look great in our rooms and integrates with Hilton’s OnQ hotel management system. We plan to start small with tablet programming and keep functionality to a minimum, but we plan to add more features over time.
Personalized welcome video
One such tablet feature that may be of interest to the Emily Morgan in the future is HCN’s “Welcome Messaging.” Through a recorded video, the General Manager or an AI avatar can personally welcome each guest to the hotel and offer them services and amenities offered by the hotel. Using the avatar, the GM can change the welcome message at any time and even target it to specific groups to welcome them with an exciting, personalized message that differentiates the arrival process and sets them apart from hotels that don’t have this technology. It’s a digital alternative to the traditional welcome letter that appears on the screen when a guest first touches the tablet. Based on historical data, when guests see the welcome message, they pick up the tablet and use it to search for hotel information.
All Navigator 2.0 tablets can instantly replace in-room electronics, including inconvenient and time-consuming TV applications, expensive voice solutions, outdated alarm clocks and rarely used bedside phones. They can also be used to eliminate in-room clutter caused by printed compendiums and table displays with QR codes and inconveniently placed and easily damaged stickers with marketing messages and digital tips.
We look forward to bringing the Emily Morgan Hotel online soon and showing management and staff how easy it is to communicate effectively and generate additional revenue.
said Neil Schubert, Chief Product Officer of HCN. Guests will not only remember the Alamo, but will also have fond memories of their exciting experience made even better by HCN.
About the Hotel Communication Network (HCN)
Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Hotel Communication Network builds on years of research and development to deliver innovative, high-quality guest amenities that keep every guest connected to their hotel, their city and each other. For more information, visit www.hcn-inc.com.
Barbara Worcester
