Trains, planes, automobiles and the occasional hotel

I travel a lot in my job, in and out of a lot of the BT offices around the country, and spend a lot of time on early morning flights and late night trains, so I think of myself as somewhat of an expert on travelling in the UK.

Of late, I think that I have seen some of the best and worst use of technology and communication in and amongst the companies I regularly purchase from. I’m interested, because I’m in the telco industry, but also because I strive to find anything that makes my travelling just a bit more convenient.

One of the best uses of technology to help me get round is BA’s iPhone app, allowing me to check in on my phone and create a QR code (what’s a QR?) as a boarding pass, without being anywhere near a printer, or even a computer. I’m also a big fan of wi-fi on trains (best place to actually get some uninterrupted work done!), but when will East Coast and Virgin Trains join the 2010s and make it free like Grand Central does? Come on guys – it’s been a good 5 years since cafes and bars charged for wi-fi.

Paper-free tickets?

I also think it’s about time the train companies started going paperless on the tickets also. An app to buy from thetrainline.com and have a QR ticket on your smart phone would definitely suit those of us who like to be eco-friendly and ditch the paper. Or using an national version of an Oyster card, or some such technology that allows you to scan in and out without those pesky little orange tickets would go a long way I think – and the train companies save money not having to print tickets out. It’s great news that now London Cabs are trialling contactless credit cards since last year, with a plan to expand across all fleets next year. Certainly saves having to have cash for cabs available all the time.

When I stay at the Marriott they use email (hardly a new technology) to get my invoices to me, which is great as my bag is not filled with paper, but the Premier Inn needs to get with the programme and get my room bills into my inbox, not my suitcase. For a low cost hotel group they could definitely save on printing and stationery costs, which I think would make their low-cost no-frills approach even better.

Booking by SMS

Finally, I think there is opportunity to for hotels to provide SMS booking information, or a QR via sms (on a smartphone) to give you ‘scannable’ check ins so you don’t need to queue for reception – I did see a self-service check in at Premier Inn in Sheffield last time I was there, but I still had to enter some details, which could be improved – even if I just inserted a card.

When you’re on the road a lot, you get used to looking at ways you can maximise downtime, like how late you can get to the airport, where to sit on a train to get the most work done and which hotel rooms are better than others, but I think more opportunity exists in the companies that provide services to workers and leisure travellers alike to make their lives just that little bit easier, and exploit new technologies to help their customers save a just a bit more time for the things that really matter (like your destination, not the means of getting there).

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