RFID Traveling Lifestyle
Mobile Phones are definitely the biggest phenomenon since the PC era. They form an integrate part of our lifestyle, whether for business or private. That said, it is not surprising that in 04 Nokia launched phones with built in RFID technology. At another website, I read recently that ABI Research predicted RFID is increasingly gaining traction in phones. The estimated number is somewhere in the region of 50% of all manufactured phones by 2009. A few days ago, I was asked to suggest some RFID ideas for the hopitality industry. Yearly I do abit of traveling, so the idea was formed on that basis that I can enjoy its benefits some day.
This may happen some day in a future not far away. From the comfort of my home, I logon the Internet and make a room reservation over the Internet. When performing payment, RFID scanner in my computer negotiates payment information stored in the RFIDed mobile phone. This causes a payment signature to be sent to the hotel’s designated payment gateway. Upon completion of payment, the hotel Internet server sends a SMS to my mobile phone containing Hotel Access Code information. The resident RFID module installed in the mobile phone accepts and stores the access code. Up till here, my hotel reservation is settled. Although it sounds complicated, but all I really need to do is click “OK” for payment, and a second “OK” for receiving the Hotel Access Code SMS. Way cool. So you may ask, what is so good about having RFIDed phone to get around the hotel? In one of my travels, I flew for 20 hours halfway around the world and on arrival at the hotel I had to wait almost an hour to finally get to my room! If I can just suggest this scenario with RFID. On reaching the hotel, instead of going up to the service counter get in the queue and wait to be checked in, I can walk straight for the elevator. Placing my mobile phone over a RFID scanner in the elevator, the system validates the access signature stored in my phone and takes me to the right floor (level) where my room is located. At the door of my room, I will only need to wave my RFIDed phone like a magic wand and BINGO the door opens for me. The wonderful thing is I DONT HAVE TO WAIT, minimum delays to get much needed sleep! On the hotel backend system, the RFID enabled system detects the hotel access code on my mobile phone and checks me in automatically as a new visitor. The building wide RFID enabled system continues to provide me immediate access to all the other services provided. This means I can use my RFIDed phone to access other amenities like the gym, pool, business lounges etc - almost without any hotel assistance or anyone to validate if I am a “real” customer.
Using RFID, hotel services can be enhanced and geared towards providing highly personalized experience for the visitor instead of clogging its capacity with routine impersonal tasks. Streamlining operational processes using RFID technology can further enhance and shorten time to respond customer’s needs. This can include waiting to access certain services as mentioned, or assigning the closest “tagged” hotel personnel to attend to the customer. Case in point, early this year I went on a vacation at a nearby resort in Bali. In order to gain access to Internet services, I had to register myself and show proof that I was truly a patron of the resort at the Business Service Centre. That did not take much out of me, but I thought it could have been faster to get me what I need. If RFID was in place, I could simply walk to a free Internet station, wave my RFIDed phone over the keyboard which automatically validates “I AM A PATRON” access and logins me into the Internet immediately.
Love it or hate it, RFID is making its rounds into every room of human existence. From backend processes, to mid level processes to interacting with customers direct. The further the international community advances towards a common RFID platform, language and sets of protocols enabling different RFID devices to intelligently communicate with each other, the greater the level of innovation for meaningful technology for us. These will be interesting to watch…
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