Robots: The New Friendly Face Greeting You
Physical robots became a permanent part of the hotel industry in 2015 when Henn-Na Hotel of Nagasaki opened a hotel fully run by robots. Porter robots were designed to carry luggage, while humanoid robots serve at the concierge. For English speakers, there’s a dinosaur robot that can assist with checking you into the hotel. Another robot, Connie, is equally well known as Hilton’s first robot residing at a Hilton hotel in Virginia. Connie was introduced to customers in 2016 and is also designed to help customers check in and answer any questions that they may have. While these robots help check in and answer everyday questions, they aren’t programmed to give the same generic response based on the type of question asked. An AI model was first trained on what information is associated as the correct answer when asked a question. These models then learn to recommend certain answers that are normally deemed as the solution by the person they are assisting. To further enhance the user experience, the models are also taught to not just list the same recommendations repeatedly. They also suggest new restaurants and tourist attractions based on a variety of factors like time or year or if the business is open. This ensures that the user gets suggestions they will actually find helpful. Robots that can emulate human behavior are powered by models that use robust training data. That means it receives natural language processing inputs in local dialects and vernacular, in speech nuances, mood, as well ontology mapping and relevance.Always Free to Lend a Hand
Robots improve the customer experience by- Being available 24/7 to assist customers
- Provide suggestions for food or entertainment
- Reduce wait time in lines
- Assist customers in their native language
Chatbots: Is that a Human or Robot You’re Talking to?
It’s now commonplace for a little chat bubble to appear on a website, giving the visitor the opportunity to quickly chat with a live support agent. Over the years, top companies are leveraging AI to triage these conversations. In some cases, AI gathers initial information before getting the appropriate support agent to assist. In others, companies use AI from start to finish. The questions these chatbots could answer in the earliest stages of AI-enabled hospitality were simple ones like store hours or how to cancel or place an order. Today, chatbots can handle a variety of more complex tasks and questions including:- Placing, cancelling, or modifying orders / bookings
- Applying discounts
- Providing suggestions for activities to do and places to visit
- Addressing customer concerns and complaints
- Being available 24/7 to assist customers
- Providing suggestions for food or entertainment
- Delivering consistent information for each customer
- Assisting customers in their native language
- Assisting those who prefer not to talk in-person or on the phone
