How 5G will help hotels feel like home

5G, the fifth generation of cellular technology will help transform the way retailers connect with their customers—wirelessly. It will allow data to move faster—enabling lower latency even with the most data-rich retail analytics.

Some hear “5G” and think it means faster connection speeds—while that may be the case, it goes beyond that and more. As it matures, 5G is expected to alter the very DNA of our user experience in dramatic, exciting ways—from leisure to healthcare to retail to manufacturing to finance and beyond—including hospitality.

Hotel room to living room

In the hospitality industry, you want guests to feel at home—even more comfortable than their own living room—while staying at your property. A positive experience can turn one-time guests into loyal guests, but it could  require a network with high reliability and low latency.

For this reason, many hotels could look to deploy 5G networks.

With the eventual increased capacity of the network, guests could have full access to their room using their cell phone or connected tablet while on the property’s 5G wireless network. Keyless entry would be made possible from their cell phone, eliminating the need for plastic keys, saving money and the environment, all at the same time. Plus, no more lost keys. To enhance their in-room experience further, guests could  adjust room temperature, window shades, and lights with the touch of a button on their phone or tablet.

The takeaway

With 5G, retail companies can help power new, innovative technologies with more speed and reliability, gather more data, and ultimately help build a long-lasting relationship with customers. The above examples are just a few  innovations businesses will begin utilizing to help boost their customer satisfaction scores  and compete in an increasingly competitive industry.

Technology of the future doesn’t necessarily mean that the human connection is now lost or unimportant in the retail shopping experience. In fact, if utilized intelligently and effectively, it could be the opposite.

With the flow of data continuing to rise, businesses must transform through virtualization and automation to optimize the cost and scale of the experiences they want to create. Businesses must also manage mobile devices, apps, and a variety of voice and collaboration tools so their teams can connect across geography, platforms, and devices.

Ready to take a deeper dive? Download our new ebook, 5G: The next retail revolution.