News Briefs

Leading global guest technology provider SONIFI continues to innovate hospitality technology with the development of a new commercial-grade enterprise casting solution with Google and LG Electronics.  

The solution includes Google Cast software embedded in LG’s smart hotel TVs so that guests can watch content from their streaming services without the need for additional hardware in the room. Google Cast works from both Android and iOS devices to LG’s smart hotel TVs, providing a seamless viewing experience regardless of OS.

“With embedded casting, it’s one less device to install, configure, manage and monitor in the guest room, creating operational efficiencies for hotels and a convenient amenity for guests,” said Michael Kosla, Senior Vice President at LG Business Solutions USA, the hospitality industry’s leading TV provider. 

As with SONIFI’s current casting solution, STAYCAST, guests pair their mobile device to the TV with a QR code to stream content from thousands of apps anytime during their stay without the need to enter their credentials onto the TV. SONIFI’s patented device isolation technology means guests can only cast to the TVs in their room, and their secure pairing is automatically disconnected at checkout.

“We’re excited to launch a simple casting deployment option with the security, reliability and ease of use hotels and guests expect,” said Kara Heermans, SONIFI’s Senior Vice President of User Experience and Product Management. “It’s a great experience for staff and guests alike, who still get 24/7 support from SONIFI, just like with STAYCAST today.”

SONIFI’s STAYCAST casting solution debuted in 2016 and is now deployed in more than 500,000 rooms around the world. 

As an early adoption partner, SONIFI will start deploying the LG smart TVs with built-in Google Cast this fall. 

“With the combined expertise of LG, Google and SONIFI, we have a real advancement for more efficiently and reliably delivering the in-room entertainment guests want most,” Heermans said. “This partnership has been a true collaboration, and we’re excited to see it evolve into continued innovation for hospitality as a whole.”

SONIFI will showcase the new built-in Google Cast solution in booth 2836 at the 2024 HITEC event June 24–27 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

At HITEC, Hotel Communication Network (HCN) will reveal a new AI-powered in-room tablet that will radically change the way hotel guests request services, communicate their needs, place F&B orders from local restaurants and more via voice commands in multiple languages. AiMe, an AI Concierge, will be on display June 25 to 27 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Booth #3836.

AiMe uses natural language processing to respond to guests’ unstructured requests and creates actionable tasks that can be relayed from the tablet to the hotel’s service system and then to staff.

            AiMe:                “Hello Mr. Stevens. I’m AiMe. How can I be of service?”

            Mr. Stevens:     “I’d like to order lunch.”

An ordering screen appears.

           AiMe:                “May I verbally take your order or would you like to see the menu?”

           Mr. Stevens:     “Yes, please take my order. I’ll have . . .”'

The meal is delivered to the room or a location specified by the guest.

“Leveraging technology to order room service and fulfill service requests is nothing new; hoteliers have been partnering with suppliers for decades to streamline two-way guest communications,” said Neil Schubert, HCN Product Officer and former Advisory Board member of Hotel Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP). “But most of the existing communication solutions on the market have their shortcomings. That’s why we developed AiMe.

“Rather than sending a text message blindly through the hotel app, a guest needing clean washcloths can now walk over to the in-room tablet and simply ask AiMe for whatever he or she wants in whatever language they prefer,” Schubert said. “No more going through the front desk or hotel operator and waiting for the request to be re-entered into the correct system to get to the right department. The data is sent from the tablet to the hotel’s service system and then to the housekeeper or floor supervisor – depending on who is equipped with a mobile device. AiMe can create and close work orders, summon the bell captain, remind guests of important meeting or event times, activate room controls and much more.”

At HITEC, HCN will discuss how AiMe can or will:

• Interpret the tone of a guest message and identify key words spoken so if a hotel guest is frustrated, for example, the request can be escalated to a hotel manager.
• Provide granular information to pinpoint the exact location of a housekeeper in distress when integrated with panic button platforms.
• Update room status. By accessing a tablet’s back-office mode (which is integrated with the hotel’s PMS), housekeepers or room supervisors can speak or type updates rather than using room phones with dial codes.
• Replace in-room electronics, including inconvenient and time-consuming TV applications, costly voice solutions, outdated alarm clocks, and rarely used bedside phones.
• Personalize experiences and drive loyalty by providing added conveniences, like speaking natural language commands to the AI Concierge or touching icons on the tablet to control room temperature, lights, do not disturb status, make up room and more.
• Broaden adoption of brand apps. With only 20% of travelers having downloaded the brand app, brands can promote use of their brand app using a device that reaches 100% of hotel guests.  Operators can replace loss-leaders like room services with a digital ordering platform that brings food and beverage to guests from local restaurants. Better yet, it’s all managed by the AI-powered tablet provider.
• Eliminate room clutter from printed compendiums and QR code table tents and inconveniently placed and easily damaged stickers promoting marketing messages and digital tipping.

Tablets are Trending!

The communication platform making the most traction today is the interactive guestroom tablet. HCN’s Navigator 2.0 is a rich, modern approach to guest engagement and revenue enhancement. The cloud-based platform is built on the latest technology stack leapfrogging traditional guest-facing solutions.

Features of the AI-Powered Navigator 2.0 tablet platform include:

• An elegant look and feel with a Netflix-inspired user interface that appeals to the masses.

• Compelling content in any language the hotel chooses to draw people in to click around, discover on-premises services and amenities, and spend more money on site.

• Hotel staff can now easily and immediately update content to the guest room devices. No need to rely on a service provider to deliver costly content management resources.

• A Bluetooth pairable speaker base with high-quality sound, USB A&C charging points, and stunning HD graphics. The speaker base also serves as a voice assistant, enabling guests to request services and amenities, report problems, plus control the room environment by voice command.

“We hope everyone stops by HCN Booth 3836 at HITEC to see AiMe in action,” Schubert said. “This AI-powered tablet is making it possible to achieve a 100% reach to hotel guests and drive better customer engagement.”

Ario, the AI-powered assistant for parents, today announced $16 million in seed funding from top-tier investors including Wing Venture Capital, Floodgate, Bain Capital Ventures, Moxxie, and prominent angels.

American parents spend hours per week managing their households, from meal planning for the family to scheduling playdates for their kids. Ario is on a mission to offload this invisible labor by understanding the personal context of a task and then taking intelligent actions to save parents precious time.

“Ario is building the AI personal assistant that real families need; hyper personal, pro-active and focused on bringing real, practical value to users,” said Floodgate founder Mike Maples. “With this investment we’re excited to see how this world-class team will unlock additional value for users, with more data integrations enabling increasingly nuanced custom recommendations and high-impact features laser-focused on freeing up parents’ time.”

Starting today, beta access is available to anyone. Ario takes personalized, intelligent action because it allows users to connect to the apps they use every day. If a user adds their Amazon, DoorDash, Google Calendar, and/or X (Twitter) accounts, Ario builds out a rich understanding of a user’s lifestyle, preferences, and routines to provide more time savings.

Ario can:

• Add an entire school schedule to the user’s Google Calendar from a single photo
• Identify schedule conflicts between a work meeting and a child’s soccer practice, and suggest solutions
• Remind users when their Amazon return is due and create personalized recommendations based on shopping habits
• Create a custom vacation itinerary, factoring in context like a child’s nap windows and developmentally appropriate activities
• Provide personalized restaurant recommendations and meal planning tips based on recent DoorDash orders

Critically, Ario takes a novel promise and approach to data; Ario enables users to access their own data from other platforms in minutes, and ensures users remain in full control when adding their data. Unlike other tools that sell user data to third parties or advertise on it, Ario helps users access their own data and exercise true data portability. When users connect apps to their Ario account, Ario does not claim ownership over that data. Furthermore, users can access their own data from other platforms in minutes, instead of completing the platforms’ own laborious “data access” requests, which take days and several steps.

“For years, consumers have had to choose between product functionality and maintaining data ownership,” said Sumit Agarwal, CEO and cofounder of Ario. “Ario is built in a way that will actually save people from the burden of life admin without sacrificing control.”

Ario’s leadership team is composed of experts in data privacy, cybersecurity and consumer products. Cofounder Sumit Agarwal was previously cofounder at Shape Security (acquired by F5), which protects B2C applications from automated fraud attacks, where Ario cofounder Mengmeng Chen also held a leadership role. Ario recently expanded its team with leaders from top consumer companies, such as Netflix and Uber, as well as Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Copilot and Turing teams.

Ario is currently available on iOS with Android coming soon. To learn more about the company and product, visit heyario.com.

Duetto, a global leader in revenue management solutions, and SHR (an Access company), a leading provider of innovative and intelligent technology solutions for hotels and resorts, today announced a strategic partnership designed to revolutionize the casino resort industry. Using Duetto’s Dynamic Rate Engine (DRE), SHR Group will enable its casino customers to deliver real-time personalized pricing online to maximize revenue, as well as increase occupancy and guest satisfaction.

The newly certified SHR<>DRE API connection returns real-time rates and restrictions on the customer level, offering loyalty program members special rates and comp rooms based on their lifetime value. This collaboration enhances the experience for players and streamlines operations for casino resorts.

“Duetto’s dynamic pricing model delivers real-time, value-driven promotions that evolve based on player activity and worth. Now, thanks to our integration with SHR, these players can be rewarded instantly and can book their discounted or comp rooms easily online, encouraging them to stay more often,” said John Lingos-Webb, Senior Director of Global Partnerships, Duetto.

“SHR’s award-winning booking engine now integrates real-time RMS lookups via Duetto’s Rate Engine API. This collaboration with Duetto expands SHR’s existing casino functionality and provides our customers with a wider range of tools to offer personalized rates and comp rooms to their loyalty guests,” said Dan Edmonds, VP Casino Strategy & Solutions, SHR Group.

With Duetto's Open Pricing and dynamic discounting based on customers’ total worth, casinos can strategically determine which guests get a comped room or a discounted cash rate during high-demand versus low-demand periods, without the risk of over-investing and eroding the bottom line.

At HITEC,  visit the Duetto booth #1751 at HITEC or SHR at booth #447.