Do you know about Google Glass? If not, you better do your homework. As Google segues from search-engine hegemony into all other areas of tech, one item in its scope is your glasses, beaming information about your surroundings directly onto the inside of your lens. A bit sci-fi, yes. But rest assured, this multibillion-dollar company is making it happen.

Helping Google usher in this new fashion age is Virgin Atlantic Airlines, which is rolling out a plan to equip its flight attendants and check-in teams with Google Glass headpieces alongside Sony Smartwatch accessories. The idea: speed up service delivery and heighten personalization. The technology integration will give passengers the latest updates (flight times, weather, local events, etc.) as well as assist with other potential areas of conflict like language translations.

So, if companies like Virgin Group are trying out this new device, why not your hotel? Yes, Google Glass isn’t the most fashionable ornament for your face, but it’s the concept behind it that is important — utilizing new tech to heighten the guest experience.

Google Glass is still in the early adoption phase, which means there are some bugs to work out. Nonetheless, it might just be the “next big thing” for your front desk, butler or concierge team. By projecting information onto glasses, it will allow your hotel staffers to maintain a better rapport with guests for two main reasons.

First, eye contact — using Google Glass ensures team members are better able to actually converse as opposed to constantly flitting their eyes onto a computer monitor. Second, by providing a heads-up display for basic information, it leaves more room for interactivity, like both guest and staffer looking at the same website on a big screen or desk clerks leaving their posts to personally direct the visitor somewhere without missing a beat.

There are a ton of possibilities to investigate here. And even if it isn’t Google Glass that suits your fancy, surely another snazzy new device will. I mentioned the term “early adoption,” which implies Google Glass is still in its infancy. This also means you can make a serious impression on your guests. Once it’s mainstream (if it reaches that point) that ability will no longer be available.

(Article published by Larry Mogelonsky in HOTELSmag on May 2, 2013)