As hotel guest service expectations continue to rise, delivering seamless customer experiences has become paramount.

Online review sites wield significant influence over potential guests, especially as review sites for any hotel will be one of the first things customers see when researching a hotel’s name. This makes it crucial for hotels to ensure satisfaction at every stage of their customers’ journey, from bookings to check-out.

Voice-based interactions increasingly commonplace

The increasing prevalence of voice-based interactions in everyday life has led to a rising demand for similar convenience during travel.

While popular home voice assistants like Alexa and mobile voice assistants like Apple’s Siri have gained popularity, integrating consumer-grade technologies directly into the hotel experience raises concerns about guest privacy and maintaining control over the customer relationship.

However, there is a solution in the form of a new generation of customer-led voice assistants. Unlike their robotic predecessors, these intelligent voice assistants such as our own EVA (Evolution Virtual Agent), can revolutionise the hotel guest experience, providing new opportunities for self-service and personalisation worldwide.

Let’s explore five compelling use cases for voice assistants in hotels:

Resolving billing enquiries

Many guests call with questions about their bills during their stay or in the weeks following their visit. Most are calling to get a copy of their invoice or to authorise a credit card – tasks that generally need to be handled by an off-site team. Voice assistants can take these calls immediately and route callers to the correct department.

Voice assistants can promptly address guests’ questions about their bills, guiding them to the correct department or providing alternative methods to handle inquiries, such as sending an SMS or email.

Initiating housekeeping requests

Guests frequently contact housekeeping on their in-room phones for items like towels, blankets or toiletries during their stay.

Voice assistants can accurately understand the requested item(s) and how many are required, regardless of factors such as accents or background noise. Integrations with telephony systems also capture a caller’s room number, enabling voice assistants to initiate workflows without human intervention.

Personalising guest experiences

By integrating with property management systems, voice assistants can differentiate the experience by addressing guests with personalised messages and recognising loyalty status.

With the option to offer CSAT surveys over the phone or via SMS, hotels can capture feedback in the moment to improve the guest experience or hotel operations. Just a small percentage of guests taking part in surveys can deliver vital marketing information.

Handling seasonal peaks in call volume

Call volumes can spike for a whole host of reasons. Hotels near national landmarks might experience particularly busy periods during public holidays, and resort-style hotel properties may implement special offers as part of a seasonal calendar.

At the same time unpredictable events like severe weather can require hotels to address concerns of existing and incoming guests efficiently and with little warning.

Customer-led voice assistants are trained to accurately understanding caller intent and resolve common, repetitive questions while allowing hotel staff to focus on the most urgent and pressing concerns.

Taking reservations

Front-of-house hotel staff are often tasked with managing face-to-face interactions and taking inbound calls. During busy periods, guests at the front desk take precedence, leading to missed calls, which equates to missed revenue opportunities.

When guests have complex requirements that need to be handled by a staff member, a voice assistant can gather basic information such as the guest’s name, date of birth, or party size while they wait to be served.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, integrating voice assistants into the hotel customer experience benefits both guests and hotel staff. By automating FAQs and guest requests, these customer-led voice assistants empower hotel staff to provide an elevated level of in-house service without compromising the quality of service delivered over the phone.

With such enhancements, hotels can excel in meeting the growing expectations of their in-house guests without sacrificing the quality-of-service customers receive on the phone.

Click here, to hear examples of how voice assistants improve the guest experience for Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and Choice Hotels.

To increase bookings, boost sales, and exceed guest expectations with a voice assistant, get in touch.