Study Shows Voice Technology is the No. 1 AI Investment Choice Among Hoteliers in 2019

The 2019 Lodging Technology Study from Hospitality Technology reports that 2019 is the year “hotels gear up for the age of augmented authenticity.” With Gartner predicting that by 2020, 85% of relationships with businesses will not require human interaction, it’s clear that hoteliers need to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) today if they are going to engage guests through the channels they’re most comfortable using. Volara – the voice hub for the hotel industry – cautions that embracing AI doesn’t mean hoteliers can simply drop consumer-grade technologies into guestrooms and expect the devices to work successfully in a hotel environment. Installing off-the-shelf voice assistants in guest rooms without the appropriate software overlay adds no value to the guest experience. Rather, it could expose the hotel to liability and endanger hotel guests.

Here are some key findings relative to voice technology from Hospitality Technology’s 2019 Lodging Technology Study, produced in partnership with the UNLV Harrah College of Hospitality:

• When asked to identify technology that has the most potential in the near-future, 79% of respondents named voice-enabled technology as thetop choice.
• 62% of hoteliers named voice technology a transformative technology that makes an impact.
• 50% of data leaders will prioritize augmenting service with AI and voice-enabled devices.
• Hoteliers are prioritizing adding voice-enabled devices to their properties for the first time over adding other technologies like mobile apps, mobile payments, tablets at the front desk and in rooms, location-based technology, chatbots, and lobby kiosks.

“There are three significant findings from this research relevant to voice technologies,” said David Berger, Volara CEO. “First, as voice-enabled technology becomes standard in other industries and in consumers’ homes, it will become expected by guests, making it a necessary service amenity. Second, digital engagement as a revenue stream is moving up the ranks in importance. That means, by enabling guests to request items on command, such as ‘Hey Google, send up some champagne’ or ‘Alexa, add two spa robes and slippers to my bill’ hotels have yet another way to capture potentially lost revenues. Third, hoteliers plan to spend more money in 2019 on technology – which means the bar to differentiate hotels will grow higher. Today, Volara integrates with some 30 leading hotel technologies and more are joining our hub each week.”

Volara turns consumer voice assistant solutions into hotel business tools by providing:

·         Cloud-based, real-time, multi-property conversation management tools

·         A patent pending Accuracy Engine that ensures guest requests are properly handled

·         Secure integrations with more than 30 leading hotel technologies

·         Device setup, provisioning, monitoring and remote management

·         Staff training and technical support