The hospitality industry is on the brink of a digital evolution. As we move further into the 21st century, digital travel credentials are becoming an essential component of the travel experience. With regulations like eIDAS and initiatives such as Digi Yatra and Homeland Security’s digital wallet technologies, businesses within the hospitality sector must be prepared to understand and integrate these new digital identities. Failure to do so could result in a scenario reminiscent of the GDPR compliance rush, where businesses scrambled to meet regulatory requirements at the last minute.
The Digital Identity Landscape
The European Union’s eIDAS Regulation aims to enhance trust in electronic transactions across the EU by providing a common regulatory environment. It ensures that electronic identities (eIDs) issued in one EU member state are recognised across all other member states, facilitating smoother and more secure cross-border and cross-service transactions. This regulation is a significant step towards a unified digital identity system in Europe, making it crucial for hospitality businesses to be compliant and interoperable with these new standards.
Whilst many hospitality providers will see seamless travel experiences, let’s consider this through the lens of hotels. Hoteliers who proactively implement digital identity solutions within their Property Management Systems (PMS) stand to reap significant benefits.
- Streamlined Guest Experience: Empower your guests to bypass the front desk entirely. Digital identity solutions enable secure and convenient self-service identity verification options. Guests can check in and out seamlessly through their smartphones or dedicated kiosks.
- Enhanced Security: Digital wallets provide robust security features. By integrating eIDAS-compliant solutions, hotels can ensure that guest data remains confidential and tamper-proof. Say goodbye to photocopies of passports and hello to encrypted, privacy-enhancing digital credentials.
- Cross-Brand Loyalty: Integrated rewards systems encourage guest engagement. Implement a loyalty program that spans not only your hotel but across other travel providers, enabling a unified travel ecosystem where loyalty points seamlessly accumulate across brands.
- Compliance and Flexibility: Adapting to varying legal requirements is crucial. The eIDAS regulation promotes interoperability, making it easier for guests to move across borders without friction.
“The impact of this new regulation is going to be huge, if not more significant than, GDPR. The European Union’s eIDAS regulation enables individuals to use a digital wallet containing a European identity with a level of assurance equivalent to a passport. As guests begin to arrive at hotel reception desks with this digital identity, it is crucial for hotel staff, particularly in the United States where awareness is low, to be prepared. Understanding and integrating eIDAS will be essential for enhancing customer journeys and engagement in the future.” Gillian Jones, Senior Business Development Manager at Condatis.
Shifting to air travel, not only are we seeing how eIDAS will facilitate smoother cross-border travel, but nations further afoot are also adopting such strategies. Digi Yatra, an initiative in India, is evolving air travel by using digital identities to streamline the passenger experience from check-in to boarding. The facial-recognition technology-based check-in service at airports might soon extend to hotels and public places like historical monuments. This proposed move to create a seamless travel stack across India represents the possibilities with digital travel credentials, where your face becomes your passport.
The growing adoption in hospitality doesn’t end there, in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security has awarded contracts to six start-ups to develop privacy-enhancing digital wallet technologies. These technologies are designed to securely store and manage digital identities, paving the way for more secure and efficient identity verification processes. While the benefits of digital travel credentials are clear, the hospitality industry faces several challenges in adopting these new technologies: Challenges Ahead
“The evolution in digital identity unlocks so much potential, but there are challenges for organisations which could leave them in the digital wilderness. Organisations will need to adapt to this shift in social behaviour or be left behind and unable to offer the same level of personalised services and experience people have grown to expect. With so many different initiatives throughout the world, global interoperability will be the key to success for many organisations. This is why our focus has been on providing usable solutions built on interoperable standards that help organisations succeed by being able to accept different types of portable identities coming out of Europe, America or other regions.” Richard Astley, Lead Solutions Architect at Condatis.
The Path Forward
As the hospitality industry moves towards embracing digital travel credentials, it is crucial for businesses to update their technology solutions and recognise the potential benefits. By using digital identities, businesses can enhance security, improve customer experiences, and stay ahead of regulatory requirements.
To avoid a repeat of the GDPR rush, hospitality businesses should start preparing now. Understanding and integrating digital travel credentials will not only ensure compliance but also position businesses as leaders in the digital age, capable of offering superior service and security to their customers.
The digital evolution in the hospitality industry is inevitable. By embracing digital travel credentials and working with experts like Condatis, businesses can navigate the challenges and reap the benefits of a more secure, efficient, and customer-centric future.
With a deep understanding of Identity and Access Management (IAM), we’re helping businesses in the hospitality sector prepare for the future. Our work on the Visitor Experience Platform showcases how digital identity solutions can be integrated to unify disparate systems, providing a seamless experience for both businesses and travellers alike. By leveraging advanced IAM solutions, Condatis helps ensure that data is secure and accessible, improving both operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.