When she arrived at the Ibis hotel in London to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers, she was told by reception that she could get in touch with her if she had any problems. She didn't think she'd need a shower until she got back to her room and realized there were no towels.
Gainsford didn't have a phone in the room. She clicked on a link to send a message to the hotel reception after reading a note that said the housekeeping services only ran for a certain period of time. She asked for towels. A staff member didn't reply after reading it.
She sent another message. She doesn't want to do that late at night. She was told that she could pick up her towels from reception. She returned to her room after going down nine floors to pick up her towels. She says she didn't expect to have that type of experience in a hotel. It was more of a matter of getting it yourself.
Gainsford is part of a larger group. Digital alternatives have quickly overtaken in-person and analog services during the Pandemic. Many restaurants and bars no longer have physical menu boards. There is an app that tells people to visit long- closed restaurants at Disney World. The rapid expansion of the digital divide is creating a new problem because the technology is often terrible.
People at hotels who can't get clean sheets without ordering them on an app, sports fans who are told to download a program on their phone as there are no physical copies available, and McDonald's customers who are confused by banks of self-service kiosks are just some of the small Changes can be seen as more efficient and an improvement for businesses.
Replacing in-person services with digital alternatives is making it more difficult for people on the wrong side of the digital divide. Almost three quarters of the world's population have never used the internet according to the International Telecommunication Union.
More people are getting online for the first time because of greater convenience and cheaper internet prices. It's more about being forced than it is about being coerced online.
Banking can be taken for example. According to Self, the number of bank branches in the US has fallen. When the US population was less than 200 million, branch numbers were higher. The number of bank and building society branches has fallen in the UK.
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