The Leisure Class of Wearables

The Travel Industry and Smart Bands: A Perfect Fit

German TUI Group is the world’s largest leisure and travel company. The firm offers package holidays to destinations around the world under several brands including Thomson and First Choice. TUI Group owns 300 hotels and resorts, six airlines and 1,800 travel agencies. The company has the scale to develop, test and implement new technologies to increase efficiency and and drive new revenue.

The group, together with technology partner Quadriga, is testing a wrist-worn wearable that replaces many of the traditional means of identifying guests. The RFID- and Bluetooth-enabled smart band can be used to unlock room doors and make payments for such things as food and drinks. The band also creates a smart environment: to save power consumption, an RFID reader can detect when there are no guests in a hotel room and adjust the temperature accordingly. A Bluetooth sensor detects when the guest is approaching the room. The band is waterproof and can be used while bathing.

Guests can view their activity information through a TUI smartphone app, allowing them to track purchases and account totals.

Leisure-related companies such as TUI and Disney have been relatively early adopters of wearables; vacation activities are particularly suited to connected wristbands and badges, enabling the convenience of not needing a wallet or key at all times.

TUI’s RFID-based solution is similar to systems being implemented in many enterprises, particularly at healthcare facilities, where the tracking of personnel, patients and assets is especially critical. Both active and passive RFID bands and badges are used in many hospitals to monitor locations as well as activities like hand-washing and rest.

There is a trickle-down from high-end, life-or-death uses to going on holiday. TUI’s use of wearables is likely to be the start of more-impressive and advanced implementations to come. The authentication system is rather basic and lacks other security means such as the use of biometrics. But these are still early days for the use of these technologies. Companies such as Disney and TUI aren’t resting.

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