Make plans to experience the “new” paradigm of the hospitality world at the upcoming HostMilano in October 2021. Smartphones, tablets and apps. As well as big data, robots and automated machines. IoT is the new paradigm around which the HoReCa universe has already started to design its future, Artificial Intelligence serving as the main driver. And while latest-generation devices and 5G technology are together making the world in which we live smarter, professional hospitality is also taking great strides to adapt. This is proved by the thousands of apps for smartphones and mobile devices that are revolutionising the hospitality world, and also by the role that the Internet of Things promises to play at the 2021 edition of HostMilano, the global equipment hub set to run at fieramilano from 22 to 26 October 2021.
Hospitality: the new paradigm is called IoT
From drinks like beer and coffee to home appliances, digital transformation in the HoReCa sector is bringing a previously unthinkable level of customisation to products and services. The client is increasingly front and centre, a mantra for companies, but layouts must also accurately reflect this focus on the individual. Thanks, among other things, to what has become an increasingly successful paradigm for professional hospitality in the third millennium, or rather the Internet of Things. To cite just one example, devices that use and exchange information via the IoT generate 1 billion gigabytes of data every day, and that’s not all, as by 2025 there will be 42 billion devices of this type in the world. And while IoT is seen most in tools such as smartwatches or apps to create smart cities, homes and factories, the technology of apps and platforms has also led to an upturn in the number of HoReCa functions now found on-line.
Trends and tendencies: how digital is winning the battle
A prime example is that of food services where, thanks to safety protocols, digitalisation has experienced an unexpected boom. Starting with the menu (to be perused at the restaurant, or even before you arrive), and the possibility to book a table directly. But apps can also be used to manage take-away services, while certain systems offer both front and back end services, from communication between the dining room and kitchen to contactless payment, and from viewing data to the management of promotions or loyalty cards for regular customers.
As for hygiene and safety, the technology has been applied to the vending machine sector. To eliminate the problem of touching surfaces, for example, a Canadian project introduces a touchless solution involving touch-free selection and cashless payment to the vending machine.
The world of coffee also presents fresh ideas, with efforts focusing on the production of machines that can offer “coffee to go” solutions, creating and customising a customer’s favourite drink without the touching of buttons or the vending machine. Not to mention the apps able to suggest food combinations by analysing the chemical composition and nutritional values of hundreds of ingredients, within a database containing thousands of recipes.
HostMilano is the most important professional hospitality exhibition at global level, one that is able to welcome approximately 2200 exhibitors from 55 countries and more than 200,000 visitors, 40% of whom international, at each edition. The next edition will take place at Fiera Milano from 22 to 26 October 2021.
More updates are available at: www.host.fieramilano.it/en, @HostMilano, #Host2021.
