Having recently moderated two panels of hotel owner/operators, the most recent in Hong Kong, I can report that the latest buzzword embraced by major brands is experience. Not that it's a new concept by any means. The word was first used as a hospitality concept by authors Jim Gilmore and Joe Pine several years ago for their book The Experience Economy, but it is just beginning to take hold at the upper reaches of the executive suites of hotel companies. (Disney learned this lesson years ago and is credited by Gilmore and Pine as the exemplar of giving a guest not just a room with bed and bath, but a total experience that leaves him or her with a great deal more than a list of minibar and telephone charges at the end of the stay.) Hotel chains are in a competitive dither trying to out-experience one another, giving customers everything from a custom-downloaded iPod to (in one Indian resort) the chance to become a mahout by adopting an elephant for the length of a stay.Hotel designers are rising to the challenge by creating environments probably far removed from home sweet home. Having already conquered the bed (how long has it been since you've slept in an uncomfortable hotel bed?) and the bath (spa amenities abound), they're now on to technology, lighting, and stylistic touches that are so attractive that most are available for purchase. Rooms that used to boast all the comforts of home now have become showrooms to make homes resemble the haute look of hotels.But here's hoping we don't lose the human touch. Hoteliers on both of these panels I mentioned rejected the idea of the human-free check-in process that's come to be standard on most airlines. "We'll never give up the human touch," one of them asserted, and all agreed.That's fine by me, as long as we can improve the human touch. A recent check-in to a Las Vegas hotel where I've been a guest maybe 12 times in the past seven years found me dealing with a very pleasant desk clerk who nonetheless had to ask, "Is this your first trip to our hotel?" Even in a very busy Las Vegas property, isn't there the technology available to let them know I'm a frequent visitor? That small gesture of recognition would go a long way to creating an experience for me. Michael Adams is editor-in-chief of Hospitality Design, the premier trade magazine reaching some 30,000 architects, designers, operators, and purchasers. Prior to joining HD, he was executive editor of Restaurant Business and senior editor of Successful Meetings.