TOP-3 the most popular hotel phone's features

We asked the telephone experts what they believe the top five must-have features that hoteliers should look for in a hotel phone system. While the answers varied, there will some universal themes that they believe would make life easier for the guest and the hotel.

Joe Zhang, president of Bittel Americas:

• Ease of use for the phone and system itself.
• Stylish design. “The style-improved room doesn’t need to have a ’90s-style phone in it,” he said.
• A guest-services button.
• Wireless charging for a guest’s mobile device.

John Grubb, SVP of marketing for Cetis:

• A secure analog or voice over internet protocol landline connection.
• Programmable guest-service keys.
• Built-in USB guest smart device charging ports.
• One-touch voicemail retrieval.

Frank Melville, president of Phonesuite:

• Simplified features for guests yet a normal and full business feature set.
• Simple access to guest services.
• Approved property management system interfaces.
• Call billing with automatic posting to guests folio.
• Integration with other communication systems as well.

Chad Collins, VP of sales, Americas for VTech Communications:

• Cordless handsets and speakerphones, which give guests more freedom to move about their rooms.
• Smaller phone footprints, which allow for easy placement and more space on the nightstand.
• USB charging port, making it easy for guests to charge smartphones and other electronic devices.
• Antibacterial plastic, tested to inhibit 99.99 percent of bacteria growth, to protect guests and housekeeping staff from germs.

Source: Hotel Management. By Esther Hertzfeld