Today in the travel industry, major brands are looking to elevate the guest experience for 2017 with new tech-focused amenities.
Most notable is Carnival Corporation’s new Ocean Medallion, a new wearable device that will debut on Princess Cruises in November. Carnival Corp. executives spoke with Travel Agent on a recent conference call about the new, proprietary technology that interacts with a network of onboard sensors to provide cruise guests with a more personalized experience. Guests with the Medallion can use it to open their stateroom door, track friends and family members, order food and beverage for delivery or personalize their entertainment.
Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald told cruise editor Susan J. Young that the plan is to see how the new technology resonates with Princess’ guests. “If they do love it, every brand will be clamoring for it,” he says.
The move comes at a time as more Millennials and Gen Xers are taking their first cruise, according to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)’s recently released 2017 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook. New cruise passengers and new cruise ships will drive the cruise industry to new heights this year, with an estimated 25.3 million passengers setting sail — up from 15.8 million in 2007. With Millennials driving technology adoption in new boutique hotel brands, a wearable-enabled experience could be the thing to entice even more to cruise.
Carnival Corp. isn’t the only travel brand announcing new tech amenities recently. Alaska Airlines, fresh off its acquisition of Virgin America, just announced a slate of new in-flight amenities that includes a new messaging service. Launching today in beta, Free Chat will allow guests on Alaska Airlines’ Gogo Wi-Fi-equipped flights to communicate with loved ones back home using iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. To do so they’ll have to log in to their Gogo accounts and follow a few steps on their mobile device. The full functionality of the new feature is expected to be deployed January 24.
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