Amazon Wants More Hotels Using Alexa Voice-Powered Services
Photo Credit: Guests will find a Volara-powered Amazon Echo Dot serving guests in every room at the Alexis Hotel by Kimpton - Seattle. Amazon aims to have Alexa handling guest requests in as many hotels as possible. Alexis Hotel by Kimpton - Seattle
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"Siri: How will Apple respond to hotels adopting Amazon's Alexa?" That's the question.
Amazon has claimed at least two-thirds of the consumer market for voice-activated Internet devices. Now it wants to gain parallel market share dominance in enterprise use by pushing its Alexa service to companies.
On Thursday, the retailer's pitch for hotels was highlighted by chief technology officer Werner Vogels in a presentation at Amazon Web Services (AWS) re:Invent conference in Las Vegas.
Vogels cited examples of Amazon Echo and Echo Dot devices in U.S. hotels, noting that the Wynn in Las Vegas is putting ones in every room so that guests can control the TV, lower the blinds, adjust the room temperature, and make front-desk requests without using a remote.
The company debuted an Amazon for Business initiative Thursday that formalizes, coordinates, and bolsters its effort to drive the use of Alexa in workplaces and service providers like hotels. Companies like Concur have integrated to enable workers to access itineraries by voice, Vogels said.
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