Skift Take
It'd be so much more interesting to see if and how this kind of biometrics data can truly inform our travel experiences.
When it comes to a discussion of biometrics in travel, it's usually about security measures, as in facial and iris recognition software that identifies passengers and clears them through to their gates without ever having to show a passport.
AccorHotels, however, is using biometrics a bit differently to promote the merging of its loyalty program, Le Club AccorHotels, with the programs from Raffles, Swissotel, and Fairmont.
Starting Monday, potential AccorHotels guests can take their own biometrics tests via mobile or desktop that will help them determine where they should go and what hotel they should book. Called Seeker by Le Club AccorHotels, the program is meant to essentially mind read what travelers are not only thinking but feeling to help them in their travel decision-making process.
[caption id="attachment_293205" align="alignright" width="385"] AccorHotels is testing biometrics with customers who are presented a psychographic.[/caption]
The tests use the webcam on a desktop and the front-facing camera on a smartphone to measure a person's heart rate and pulse to determine what kind of a traveler a person is, based on six different psychological, personality, destination, and style metrics: tone (cold versus hot destinations; relaxation versus adventure trips); environment (traditional versus modern; rural versus urban); and company (solitude versus togetherness; family versus romance).
"It's not a BuzzFeed quiz," an AccorHotels spokesperson told Skift. "It's more about a person's impulses and his or her gut reactions."
How It Works
In crafting these tests, the hospitality company worked with Mike Manh, senior creative developer of The Mill, a creative content agency, to confirm that the science behind these tests would be, well, accurate.
While Manh said the "biometrics are very accurate and reliable," he also noted "as this is the first time we're using them to detect travel preferences, we don't have any long-term clinical trials to use as proof but, based on user reactions and responses, they're quite accurate."
AccorHotels gathered user reactions and responses not only through the mobile and
