Tech-consultancy ushers in digital revolution in cruise industry
The next generation of cruise ship technology looks set to arrive aboard Carnival’s Princess Cruises, thanks to work from integrated technology consulting company Nytec. The US-based firm worked in collaboration with Carnival to engineer an innovative on-wrist interface for leisure consumers looking to for a futuristic get-away.
In 2016, it was reported that Celebrity Cruises had joined forces with consulting firm Accenture to innovate the customer experience with the company, and as growing numbers of consumers look to incorporate digital products into their daily lives, the consulting industry as a whole seems positioned to play a pivotal role in the future of leisure commerce.
With cruise lines particularly increasingly looking to renovate customer interfaces and utilise new technological techniques to improve the product offered, consulting firm Nytec have recently partnered cruise magnates Carnival Corporation to produce the new Ocean Medallion system, which will first be utilised in November this year.
Among other things, the new Ocean Medallion, a single-use digital wrist-strap device offered by Carnival to their prospective cruise passengers, will allow for keyless entry into a passenger's cruise cabin and contactless on-board payment. The device will also serve as a personal tracking device with on-screen wayfinding, so that passengers can locate friends and family members aboard colossal cruise ships.
Escape to the future
The waterproof wearable can be worn in a multitude of ways; around the neck as a pendant, on the wrist as a watch, or clipped to clothing as an accessory, while featuring an engraving of the passenger’s name. The pioneering new platform for Carnival’s Companion App also boasts an impressive month-long battery life, meaning wearers will not be haunted by the dreaded “low power” warning that plagues users of many other smart-devices.
In order to function, the system behind the Medallions requires each ship that uses the technology to utilise up to 75 miles of wires, while installing 6,000 sensors and 650 Medallion readers. The technology will first be implemented aboard the Regal Princess ship in November, but beginning with Princess Cruises, Carnival are hoping to eventually roll out the system across all 10 of its different lines.
Nytec’s Kirkland Product Innovation Centre played a central role in the designs, as the group partnered closely with Carnival’s Experience and Innovation team from the conception to realisation of the project, the American-UK cruise conglomerate becoming the latest in a long line of outfits hoping the facility provides them with a competitive edge, as they vie for the custom of a new generation of tech-savvy passengers. The professional services firm’s state-of-the-art Innovation Centre offers their partners – who among a long list of prestigious clients, include Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Samsung – full service end-to-end product design and development. According to the company’s representatives, the Ocean Medallion is thought to be the world’s first truly interactive guest experience, and has the potential to revolutionise the leisure industry.
“We are honoured that we were chosen to help make Carnival Corporation’s connected guest experience vision a reality,” Nytec CEO Rich Lerz said in a statement. “This perfectly aligns with Nytec’s mission and long history of successfully delivering innovative products and services over the last 41 years.”
