Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has tapped Microsoft for its Surface Pro tablets to better digital experience to its customers.
The luxury hotel group is piloting Microsoft Surface Pro tablets – on Windows 8.1 OS platform — in four of its properties in London, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas and Tokyo, to provide in-room tablets.
These customized Microsoft Surface Pro tablets come with Windows 8.1 start screen and modern touch apps.
Mandarin Oriental has created five custom Windows 8.1 touch apps — in nine different languages — that manage services for in-room dining, concierge and housekeeping requests, a guest compendium that provides information about the hotel’s facilities, and access to guest feedback and guest preferences, said Microsoft.
Leveraging the Microsoft platform, Mandarin Oriental is able to integrate a combination of services formerly offered via the television, telephone or guest directory with content available on the company’s website to deliver a more intuitive in-room experience for guests via custom touch apps running on Microsoft Surface Pro tablets.
Monika Nerger, CIO of Mandarin Oriental, said: “Through the partnership with Microsoft we can create digital experiences that cater to our guests’ needs and expectations whenever they stay with us.”
The Group’s custom Windows 8.1 touch app will allow guests to request hotel services, such as housekeeping, laundry and in-room dining. Each touch app is infused with Mandarin Oriental’s brand elements and is configurable via a cloud management solution offered by iRiS Software Systems, which runs on Microsoft Azure.
This apart, hotel guests can log into the Surface Pro tablet using their own Microsoft Account to access personal email and files on OneDrive, as well as use their favorite apps associated with their Microsoft Account profile. Upon checkout, the device is wiped clean of personal guest data and restored to the hotel’s customized homepage design.
“Early feedback from our guests has been extremely positive, and we will continue to tailor the solution as we extend the tablet deployment to more of our markets, with an initial target installation of 1,000 tablets across the portfolio in the near future,” Nerger said.
