• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, April 16, 2017

An IoT future is coming to hotels in the form of artificial intelligence, voice-activated experiences and virtual reality.

Consumers are willing to engage with such technologies if they feel they are in control of their experience, based on a new report.

The Hotel 2025 Report by Oracle is based on an audit of 250 restaurant operators, 150 hotel operators and 700 consumers focused on their reactions to the role of technology in the guest experience over the next eight years.

All kinds of technologies are on the way, ranging from facial recognition to virtual reality tours of hotels. Here’s what hotel operators see ahead:

• 72% -- Guest recognition by full biometrics within five years
• 72% -- AI-based systems that leverage guest preferences to make targeted dining recommendations will be mainstream by 2025
• 68% -- Virtual reality will be widespread for staff training by 2025
• 64% -- Virtual reality will be widespread for guest entertainment on property by 2025
• 63% -- Monitoring via wearable device will be in use within the next five years
• 41% -- Guests will be more likely to visit an establishment with greater frequency if they are recognized without having to give their name

There are also some potential downsides, or at least issues to give hotel and restaurant operators pause. Here are some:

• 68% -- Restaurant guests find suggestions based on digital footprint to be invasive
• 50% -- Guests say being served by a robot would not improve guest experience
• 42% -- Restaurant guests find suggestions based on health to be invasive

However, many consumers seem fine with the technology aids coming.

The majority (59%) of hotel guests say controlling their room via voice-activated device would enhance their experience and 66% say virtual reality tours of hotel properties would improve their experience.

Every industry will feel the effects of the Internet of Things.

Even more significantly, consumers who experience IoT-driven benefits in one place will expect it in another.

Any marketer not keeping up can end facing a steep hill to climb to catch up.

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The consumer impact of technologies such as these will be discussed at the MediaPost IoT Marketing Forum May 18 in New York. Here’s the agenda.