Booking an Alexa-enabled hotel room
First it was Apple’s Siri. Then came Amazon’s Alexa- which many claim, runs rings around Siri. (Anyway, that’s another story… especially when there are others who consider Google Assistant to be brainier).
Not so long ago, very few dreamt of a ‘smart home’. Alexa changed all that. Connecting with smart home gadgets, Alexa together with Amazon Echo is now the easier, more streamlined hub for the ‘Alexa – controlled smart home’.Not stopping there, Amazon then introduced ‘Alexa for Business’. Previously, companies spent millions of dollars on open plans, ergonomic furniture, futuristic designs, but were still using technology that has remained the same since a decade ago. For that reason – Alexa for Business was welcomed with open arms.
Now, seven months after Alexa for business made her debut, Amazon has launched Alexa for Hospitality, a new programme that provides hoteliers with an Amazon Echo to act as a ‘voice-activated, in-room virtual’ concierge.
The Alexa for Hospitality platform offers integrations with the hotel concierge, front desk, housekeeping and back-of-the-house systems – making them accessible through voice interaction. Basically, Alexa for Hospitality is the guest’s ‘go-to-person’ when in the room, and lets guests seek hotel specific information (gym hours or B’fast times for example), set the alarm, start playlists, control or adjust the room’s lighting, air-conditioning, blinds and TV- all with verbal commands.
Working with existing hotel technologies and hospitality solution providers, Alexa for Hospitality lets guests order wine (she even does suggestive selling), book spa appointments, with ‘voiced’ requests routed to the hotel’s PMS, POS and guests requests systems for fulfillment. Requests for amenities too can be routed thru Alexa, and, yes, the hotel can put a cap on unreasonable request. During a test run, the guest requested for 20 toothbrushes to the room, but Alexa informed him that the hotel has placed a limit on toothbrushes. When the request was adjusted to a single toothbrush – a hotel staff member delivered it within 10 minutes. Should a guest wish for a late departure, Alexa becomes a speakerphone to the front desk, letting the guest speak to someone to handle his or her request.
When ready to ‘check-out’, Alexa can be instructed to summon the bellman to the room and when not wishing to stop by the front desk at the end the hotel stay, “Alexa, check me out” is all that is one needs to say. This also alerts the relevant hotel staff that the room is ready for turnover, thus having the room ‘readied’ even faster for the next arriving guest. When a guest checks out, the device is programmed to automatically disconnect his or her Amazon account from the in-room unit, wiping the platform clean for use by the next guest. Hotels can also use Alexa for Hospitality to measure engagement through analytics and adapt services based on guest feedback.
During a pilot programme to ascertain guest feedback, 90% of guests who used an in-room Alexa rated it between ‘good’ and ‘excellent’. More than 70% of guests remarked that when booking for hotels in the future, they would select Alexa-enabled rooms if available.
So, will hotels throw out the old-fashioned analogue in-room phones? Not really, although Amazon will offer volume discounts on the devices and platform, it won’t be inexpensive. The larger-scale businesses, especially those who have the budget to innovate will pay for this new tech going forward. Others may have to use a multi-faceted approach. Keep in mind that more than 65-70% of the hotels worldwide are small operations. They are not big businesses.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, ‘Hospitality Sri Lanka’, Consultant, Trainer, Ex-Hotelier.
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