Robots? In My Hotel? Three Ways AI is Stepping Up as Hospitalitys Next Great PMS Support Tool By Warren Dehan

AI-driven platforms are revolutionizing travel planning by curating hyper-personalized itineraries based on real-time data. From flight recommendations to hotel bookings and local experiences, AI algorithms analyze a traveler’s preferences, past behaviors, and even social media activity to suggest the most relevant options. This leads to a more tailored and satisfying travel experience.

One of the most significant ways AI is impacting hotel finances is through sophisticated dynamic pricing algorithms. These AI-powered systems analyze vast amounts of data in real time, including competitor rates, local events, historical booking patterns, and even weather forecasts. By adjusting room rates automatically based on demand and other factors, hotels can maximize their revenue per available room (RevPAR) with unprecedented precision.

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Those in Gen X and baby boomers took an average of 6.4 and 6.3 business trips respectively. The company’s former product design head, Paul Ballas, has also focused on UX design at major companies including Deloitte and Oracle. According to LinkedIn, many current software engineers have completed advanced computer science and software development programs with organizations including Galvanize, University of Colorado Boulder, and Turing School of Software & Design. This demonstration video shows how young professionals and other company employees can use Pana’s free app to plan and make adjustments to their business trip. The company is privately held and does not list full funding information. However, Pitchbook suggests that it has received roughly $4.5 million in funding from angel investors.

Sometimes customers get really angry, justifiably sometimes, and they may say things that would upset the agent, and the agent may then yell back, if it’s a human. The machine’s never going to yell back, it’s always going to be nice, and it’s never ChatGPT App going to come with a bad attitude because it had a fight with its spouse in the morning. It won’t come really tired because it stayed out too late the night before. I tell you, there are a lot of benefits to having an AI agent versus a human.

To that end, the hotel chain has created a steering committee, aware that it must be cautious with such a new technology while recognizing that the commercial availability of ChatGPT means no business can sit on it for too long. Bret Greenstein, Global VP of Watson Internet of Things at IBM, thinks adding AI to a hotel room is a logical extension of what we already use at home—but better. In Spring 2018, Rose will be the first chatbot to serve casino and loyalty customers from the resort’s Identity Rewards chatbots for hotels program, automatically lavishing extra attention on them. She may text about free spa treatments, concert tickets, or other benefits they could then automatically book. If a guest has been frequenting a certain bar, she might suggest different on-site venues where they can use their Identity membership card, or recommend her favorite drinks. Meanwhile, in Singapore, the M Social hotel is using a front-of-house robot called Aura to deliver small amenities like water, towels, and toiletries to rooms.

AI Statistics for Hotels

Develop interactive onboarding programs using AI to simulate real-life scenarios that employees might face. For instance, create a virtual environment where front desk staff can practice handling different types of guest requests, complaints, or check-in processes. These AI-driven simulations can adapt to the learning pace of each employee, providing personalized feedback and guidance. For AI to be effective in this manner, it must draw on vast stores of data sourced from all hotel departments. Many independent operators today have isolated departments, limiting the data and capabilities hotels can access. It’s not enough to present data between departments during meetings or discussions.

With the partnership, Pana’s paid users can now link the app to their Expensify account. According to Expensify, the expensing platform has also added integrations with companies like Jettly, a private jet charter marketplace, and ParkWhiz, an app for searching finding and booking spots. Prior to founding Pana, CEO Devon Tivona studied computer science at University of Colorado Boulder before analyzing new and emerging technologies on the research and development team at Hewlett-Packard.

Now, we have the benefit of diversification, and since one area may not be doing as well as in other areas, you get a benefit when the other areas are doing better. Yeah, the tech stacks are very different, and they’re built up differently. So, just for example, at the very beginning, you had Priceline and Agoda have what’s known as a merchant model, in which case people would pay upfront for their reservations. Booking.com started off in a different way, where they took no money upfront; you paid, for example, at the hotel, and then Booking.com got paid a commission after you left.

These transformations might appear to unfold at a gradual pace, seemingly detached from your hotel’s operations. Nevertheless, it’s happening; generative AI is here to stay and here for taking. This cycle spurred greater exploration of new accommodations and contributed to an upsurge in reviews as well as in overall travel volume. For context, let’s go back in time two decades to the rise of the OTAs such as Booking, Expedia, Priceline, and Agoda. In the pre-dotcom era, travel guides, magazines and TAs significantly shaped any consumer’s destination choices.

While individual users can use HelloGBye for free, they can also gain more perks, such as the ability to earn rewards points and no booking adjustments fees, with a subscription for $19 a month. Companies also have the option to purchase business subscriptions for $199 a month, according to its website. HelloGBye also says its software can manage itineraries and even more complex voice requests involve more than one traveler. Users who don’t wish to record voice messages can also send a text-based message with multiple travel requests to its chatbot. This demo shows how Hello Hipmunk claims to help users with quick travel bookings. It also demonstrates how users can interact with the Hipmunk chatbot.

The reason AI is so important to consider today is not that it will replace humans in our industry, but because of how essential human connection is to succeed. At a time when the rush for technological innovation has people afraid to lose human interaction, things like eye contact, a warm smile, and a cheerful “hello” at check in speaks volumes about the service that is to come. Therefore, it’s critical that the hotel PMS is intuitive enough to enable front desk staff to do these engaging tasks, rather than keeping their heads down and eyes glued to the computer screen. Personal service, trust, and old-fashioned “hospitality” still matter.

The company’s Speech AI managed more than 3.6 million reservation conversations in its first year and its innovative Digital Concierge has served millions of guest requests to date, according to an IHG representative. Looking to the future, LG showed an even more engaging range of hospitality robots called CLOi at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Pronounced “Kloh-ee,” these bots can, among other things, clean up, serve food and drinks with a built-in sliding tray, handle baggage and payments at check-in and checkout, and provide directions. Though not in hotels yet, CLOi got its first successful trial at this year’s PyeongChang Olympics, cleaning floors at the Main Press Center.

From established online travel agencies to the latest travel startups, we have the latest news on everything in online travel. With the Workspace extension, Bard can access the user’s Gmail account. In response, to a question about an upcoming flight to New York City for Skift Global Forum next week, Bard presented a link to the confirmation email from American Airlines. We tested ChatGPT Plus last month and found frequent errors that would force the user to abandon a chatbot conversation and start over. “When guests perceive the AI decision as unethical or incompetent, it has a negative impact on their experience and willingness to engage with it,” said Morosan.

As we look to the future, it’s clear that AI will continue to be a critical factor in the financial success of hotels. A luxury hotel that introduced AI voice assistants in its rooms reported a 30% reduction in routine service calls to the front desk, freeing up staff for more complex guest interactions. Additionally, guest satisfaction scores for room features and overall experience increased by 20%.

• In the hospitality industry, where personalized guest experiences and operational efficiency are paramount, to say the least, the integration of Artificial Intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept but a present reality.
• The country’s first travel company to test the integration of ChatGPT, Almosafer believes this will enhance the booking experience by providing more tailored responses to customer queries.
• As we’ve explored, the path forward is not merely about adopting new technologies, but about reimagining the role of every individual within the hospitality ecosystem.
• For instance, AI could analyze the tone and speed of a front desk employee’s speech and offer tips to improve their communication skills.

AI can analyze guest preferences and behaviors to create personalized marketing messages and promotions for customers. This reduces energy costs and significantly lowers the environmental impact of hotel operations, supporting their overall sustainability goals while maintaining guest comfort. The State of Travel 2024 Report also illustrates that AI is not just a tool for automating tasks—it is fundamentally reshaping how travelers plan, book, and experience their journeys. For hotels and other players in the travel industry, embracing AI-driven solutions will be crucial in capturing new market opportunities and delivering unforgettable guest experiences.

This stage involves identifying the areas where AI can deliver the greatest impact, such as guest services, operational efficiency, or energy management. A thoughtful implementation strategy should include selecting the right technology partners, training staff to work alongside AI tools, and setting clear objectives for what the AI systems need to achieve. From concierge robots to personalized rooms to lively chatbots, your next holiday may include help from some artificially intellectualized friends. While you may miss, say, the smile or handshake you get from their human counterparts, these systems can create hyper-personalized experiences and comprehensively upgrade the level of service during your stay. In 2017, Pana was included in a group of travel-friendly apps that partnered with the business-expensing startup, Expensify.

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It slowly and steadily absorbed many of its rivals over the years, starting with Priceline’s purchase of Booking.com in the mid-2000s and ramping up with big buys like Kayak for $1.8 billion in 2013. Booking has also expanded beyond flights and hotels into more parts of travel and hospitality with acquisitions like restaurant reservation platform OpenTable. The chatbot is designed to be user-friendly, enabling even those with limited technical expertise to utilise the tool effectively. It can be used across various hotel operations, including sales, marketing, and distribution strategies, to apply the insights gained from the data.

Banking Chatbots – Comparing 5 Current Applications

These innovations are poised to reshape how travelers discover new destinations, make reservations and book ancillary experiences provided by their chosen hotels. IHG has integrated “IHG Assistant,” an AI chatbot that helps the hotel chain manage customer interactions and bookings efficiently. Available 24/7, this tool quickly responds to guest inquiries and streamlines the booking process, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free customer experience. By automating routine interactions, IHG Assistant allows human staff to focus on providing more personalized service where it counts.

Anyone who’s part of a hotel or airline reward program here in the US has probably noticed recently that those companies are working really hard right now to cut out the middleman and get you to book directly with them. Some airlines, for example, now only let you earn reward miles for direct booking. This episode is pure Decoder bait all the way through — from Booking’s structure to competition with hotels and airlines increasingly going direct to consumer, even to how European regulation affects competition with Google. Glenn really got into it with me — there’s a lot going on in this space, and it’s interesting because there are so many players and so much competition across so many of the layers.

Implementing strong cybersecurity measures and adhering to data protection laws are critical. Hotels should conduct regular security assessments and updates to their AI hospitality systems to safeguard guest data. Maintaining the essential personal touch in guest interactions while implementing AI can be tricky, as over-reliance on automation may lead to a less personal guest experience. According to a survey by PwC on major hospitality brands, more than 70% of hotel executives wish to automate their operations to improve employee productivity. The future of hospitality is here, and it’s more human – and more revolutionary – than we ever imagined.

• Booking.com is based in Amsterdam, and Europe’s big new tech law, the Digital Markets Act, classifies it as a gatekeeper just like Apple or Google.
• In Computer Science from the University of Southern California in 2004 and went on to become product manager at Yahoo from 2009 to 2011.
• Mezi also claims to be an online concierge that users can chat with for trip recommendations, flight information, and hotel availability.
• AI-powered technologies can help streamline many areas of travel, such as airport operations and hotel booking.
• Like when we came out of the pandemic, there was that revenge travel surge, which is fantastic.

According to a study from Tidio, 62% of customers say they would rather use an online chatbot than wait for human assistance. While AI can’t replace the human touch in the hospitality industry, tools powered by AI ChatGPT can handle many of the tasks that are traditionally undertaken by staff. Many back-office tasks can be automated, thereby reducing human error, increasing efficiency and freeing up staff for other important work.

We are seeing a system evolve that will see technology manage the building wave of personalization, but ensure that it is fulfilled by a person, meeting guests’ desire for a human connection. We are eager to use technology to improve productivity, but as with our burger, rather than completely overturn the process, we are shifting productivity somewhere else. Distributed management provides the solution to this, allowing team members to work collaboratively, but autonomously, over a network. This is true across all industries and completely understandable. We saw this with the rise of the internet, where the dream was of low-cost distribution. Instead, it made demand more predictable and massively expanded supply, and I believe that AI will also change travel and hotels in ways that we can’t yet fully appreciate, but where we are starting to see clues.

As AI systems become more sophisticated and accessible, hoteliers are discovering unprecedented opportunities to streamline operations, enhance guest experiences, and most importantly, boost their bottom line. We hope our blog has guided you well into diving through the world of AI for your hospitality businesses to reap as many benefits as possible while generating maximum RoI. As a dedicated AI software development company, we can help you enhance your hospitality services through artificial intelligence, thanks to our robust experience and portfolio of successful AI projects. Our team is proficient in the latest AI technologies, designing solutions that integrate seamlessly into your existing operations to boost both efficiency and guest satisfaction. AI tools can monitor and analyze feedback across multiple platforms in real time, allowing hotel management to address any issues promptly. This approach to reputation management can significantly enhance guest satisfaction and loyalty.

In this future, hotels will become more than just places to stay – they become hubs of innovation, incubators of ideas, and showcases of what’s possible when human potential is unleashed through technology. In this new era, the most successful hotels will be those that view every employee as a potential tech innovator, every guest interaction as a data point for improvement, and every AI implementation as a step towards more meaningful human connections. By investing in both cutting-edge technology and the boundless creativity of their workforce, these pioneers will create a new blueprint for hospitality – one that is more efficient, more personalized, and more rewarding for all stakeholders. Moreover, the radical concept of employees as AI co-creators and shareholders represents a revolutionary approach to tackling the industry’s longstanding challenges. Imagine a world where the housekeeper who suggests an AI-driven inventory management system becomes a part-owner in that innovation, or where a concierge’s brilliant idea for a predictive guest preference algorithm earns them ongoing royalties.