In recent articles that I have read there seems to be a debate on what to do with the in room phone — do we get rid of it, or what can be done to tech it up somewhat? The hotels have upgraded almost all of the gadgets that customers could ask for. BUT! The in room phone is not a gadget you can get rid of. It may have outlived its usefulness as far as making calls from the rooms, but it is still needed for room to room calls, wakeup service, and in hotel extensions. In a way you can probably thank the in room phone for providing the rush to the cell phone. I wonder how many people remember when at times your room phone bill was higher than your room bill.
Charges Responsible for Demise
Hoteliers had some outrageous charges when using the in room phones. There used to be a charge to connect to the outgoing party plus x amount per minute and out of zone fees. A local call could cost you $5.00. Let’s not even consider what a long distance call would run to. So you see, the hotel industry itself probably was responsible for the demise of in room phone calls. However the main reason the in room phone will not go away is that it has a very good guardian at its beckon call. That guardian is none other than the battery of lawyers that would descend on the industry, if the in room phone was removed. In the event of a medical emergency, sometimes the only thing that a guest can do is dial zero for the operator. Imagine if you can, a guest dialing the hotel number on his cell to get the operator. Have you ever gotten the operator on your phone when you call direct? NO! You get a recording telling you what number to press for your desired department. Imagine that when having a medical emergency; maybe you can put your medical emergency on hold. The question is then how to make the in room phone techier so it will blend in with the rest of the new gadgets in the room. I leave that to the innovators and inventors to ponder.
About the Author
Alan Campbell has been in Las Vegas for over 30 years and has worked for the major strip hotels. He has spent some time in California, Los Angeles where he worked for the Radisson and Sheraton hotels. Alan considers the hospitality industry the best job in the world – it is the only place that both king's and Paupers will visit you.
The Hotel Guy
