In October, the Spanish chain Room Mate Hotels launched a tablet-based interpreting service for deaf and hearing-impaired guests. The way it works? Upon check-in, guests use a tablet in with a video-call program linking the guest and the interpreting service in Spanish and international sign language, allowing those guests to make requests in real time with a certified team of sign language interpreters. The service has already been implemented in Room Mate’s Spanish hotels: international hotels will get the technology sometime during 2018. The collaboration, with Madrid-based Comunicados en Lengua de Signos, gives support to the hotel staff in their interactions during both check-in and check-out as well as any other situation that may arise during the guest’s stay.
Room Mate’s international hotels will get the hearing-impaired tablet technology sometime during 2018.
HOTELS: Talk us through how a person uses the software and exactly what it does.
Elena Marrero: The interpreting service is an online video call platform with a certified team of sign language interpreters that any deaf person with a tablet or phone, internet connection and webcam can call when and where the need arises. An interpreter will act as a communication channel between the deaf and hearing person, making possible an understanding between them without having to be on site.
H: What prompted this move? Did Room Mate find it had a large deaf population in terms of guests?
EM: In Room Mate we want to show the world that a model based on humanization and happiness is possible. We are more than a hotel chain; we are a philosophy of life. Rather than having the concept of guest, we think in terms of people, as that is the only way that we can understand, emphasize and take care of them.
At the present time, we are the first chain to introduce an interpreting service for deaf guests.
There are over 360 million deaf or hearing impaired people around the world but this innovation has nothing to do with the number of people that choose us, the reason to implement this service is our inclusive character, because the happiness of people is our main mission.
H: What is the difference between what the company was doing before and what it is doing now? Additional training needed for staff?
EM: This is a really simple system and, due to the enthusiasm of our staff, the implementation has been more than easy. In order to make sure that all our staff knows how the system works, we have created a protocol with which our front desk managers have been trained to be the person in charge of sharing how it works to the rest of their teams.
H: How does Room Mate think this technology will benefit guests? What kind of bigger picture opportunity is there moving forward?
EM: The interpreting service makes the stay of our deaf or hearing-impaired guests easier and more comfortable. We are living in the technological era and it is currently an essential tool that contributes to the improvement of the industry.
In Room Mate we always say that the technological improvements are important but we don’t want to lose the human touch.
