One new entrant in the wearables category will be MSC Cruises, which plans a bracelet to be used on two ships debuting this year, the MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seaside. Known as MSC for Me, it will be part of a digital concierge, mapping and purchasing service.
MSC said that guests on the Meraviglia, launching in the Mediterranean in June, will connect to the service using the interactive bracelets, which will activate geolocated suggestions through 3,050 Bluetooth beacons.
The beacons, which will open cabin doors and bring up digital images in a photo gallery, will work in tandem with an app that can be accessed on smartphones, tablets or digital display screens around the ship.
MSC for Me includes TailorMade, a digital personal adviser that will provide customized recommendations based on guest preferences and will employ intelligent face-recognition technology, MSC said. The cruise line's partners in the project include Deloitte Digital, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Samsung.
MSC said it has invested $21 million to equip each ship with 6,000 points of connectivity, 700 digital access points and 114 interactive screens that enable the bracelet and app to work.