How is AI propelling Hospitality Sector?

Recent improvements in computing power have enabled significant enhancements in AI, further propelling the main processes in tourism industry. Decipher and discern!

Hotels are upgrading their operating system and services by integrating intelligence-based predictive analytics. They are strategically automating internal and customer care services to optimize the overall operational cost. They can deliver excellent guest-friendly service such as suggesting books or music, matching guest performances, nearby sports clubs, automatically alerting hotel staff for personalized meal choices, special privileges, complimentary services, etc. They dynamically draw insights from mountains of data (operational, performance, pricing, guest, comp set, business intelligence, marketing data, etc.) to allow hoteliers to automate or augment operations, processes, and decision making via various hospitality tech applications in guest services.

Examples: AI in Hotels

• Hilton’s LightStay program is a celebration of sustainability and social impact efforts, Hilton properties have reduced carbon emissions equivalent to removing 390,350 cars from the road.
• Cvent makes use of Passkey (Room Block Management) to maximize group reservations, streamlining and automating meetings, event bookings for hotels, DMOs, and venues, creating valuable upsell opportunities for hoteliers.
• Another Hotel chain, Dorchester Collections uses Machine Learning (ML) to personalize guest experiences from booking to dining. In one instance they were able to gather insights that their guests were far more interested in breakfast than dinner as a meal, to which hotels tend to focus their investments on to differentiate themselves by offering a fine dining experience.
• About 80-90% of orders were modified, the waiters at Beverly Hills Hotel make everything on-demand.
• Marriot Hotels and Resorts, Best Western Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts and AirBnB are making use of virtual tours to amp guest experience. Hotel Marriott allows travelers to check in with their mobile devices.
• IBM’s Watson AI platform, Connie is AI software powering the robot that is replacing human front desk staff, replacing long queues, creating memorable experiences, and helping perform better.
• Hotel Henn-na (Japan) is one of the first robot-staffed hotels which strives to achieve ultimate efficiency. Its front desk agents, porter, in-room assistance, and vacuum cleaners at all sites are robot-enabled.
• Hilton Hotels initiated a robotic concierge that is powered by artificial intelligence, communicating with hotel guests.

Research Exclaims: How does research emphasize the use of AI in Hospitality?

A recent Gartner research suggests that a typical American home has 500 smart devices for smart living. AI drives a new frontier of futuristic opportunities for the hospitality industry. With perceptive personalization, tailored recommendation, on-premise recommendation, voice-enabled virtual assistants. Internet of Technology, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Artificial intelligence, and sensors can:

• Make the hotel’s Wi-Fi network to recognize guest arrival
• Alert the management staff for quick
• Enable frictionless check-in for the guest
• Adjust the light intensity and temperature of the room that matches their predetermined preferences
• Hotel guests can use voice commands to control room TV, lighting, music, and temperature.
• The no-wait mobile applications enable customers to check waiting times or search nearby restaurants, track how many parties are ahead of them, arrive at the restaurant at the right time, and ensure a smooth dining experience.
• IoT-enabled devices can fill the room with customized music, lighting, temperature settings. Fulfill a specific need for room service and predict which hotel or outside services and activities would be interesting for guests.

Oracle’s market research portrays that AI is already changing the guest experience across tourism. And hotels can expect more tools to streamline check-in, monitor, adjust in-room technology, and customize stays in the future.

Challenge: Sideline Discussion

Future airports may be entirely automated allowing customers to go through the entire airport experience. But it can be a fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization according to some scholars. They need to demonstrate the same care towards guests’ happiness and quality of experience. It might diminish efficiency, security and reduce the human touch, and take over consumer judgment.

Scope for Improvement: What are hotels implementing to do better?

Irrespective of the bump robots still carries the potential to create a large number of jobs in hospitality and other.

• AI concierges – Using artificial intelligence to check guests in or out, order room service, and answer questions 24/7.
• Switch to hyperdynamic pricing – As an example, Aviation Industry Experts scan hotel reviews for consumer sentiment or pinpoint seat assignments or particular hotel rooms based on Instagram photos.
• Adopt group booking software – Cvent Passkey for Hoteliers make use of smart technology to amplify their sales. Improve booking experience, and seamlessly organize all related departments. Portola Hotel and Spa Revenue enable Passkey ARI for significant room revenue growth with their guests extending their stays.
• Make reviews actionable – Hoteliers get to know their customers through the customers’ feedback they leave. Now they use an intelligent AI-enabled tool to automatically collect, analyze, and store data from across a variety of online sources.
• Use chatbot translators – Tools like Bebot enhance the guest experience through automated guest review collection, onsite restaurant renovations, and booking confirmations.
• Feature smart event diagramming – Event planners make use of an intuitive tool used to create 3D diagrams of event spaces, templatize layouts from past events.
• Make hiring smarter – Hospitality recruiters use ML to hire hotel employees that go beyond the outdated resume model. IHG Europe Hotel operations believe that AI has helped eliminate personal or preconceived biases among recruiters.

Conclusive: What does the implementation of AI in Hospitality bring to the table?

Artificial Intelligence Companies have pegged down in all areas of travel and tourism with personalization, recommender systems, prediction and forecasting systems, personal travel assistants, language translation applications, natural language processing systems, and voice recognition systems. The power of predictive analytics in hospitality can help formulate relevant offers and personalized experiences structured for individual needs. AI-powered virtual assistants act as an influential communication tool in synchronicity with hotel staff to streamline hotel management systems.