Skift Take
The next big questions hoteliers might soon be asking themselves: "Alexa, how do I make sure you recommend my hotels when they ask you where they want to stay?" Or, on the flip side: "Why did I invest so much into the modern-day version of the iPod docking station?"
It was only in November that technology giant Amazon announced the launch of its Alexa for Business division and just eight months later, Amazon's plans for getting deeper into the travel space are becoming much clearer.
With the help of Marriott International and a number of other partners, including both hotel brands and technology systems, Amazon is announcing Tuesday the debut of Alexa for Hospitality, a division of the company committed to placing Amazon's smart home devices into hotel rooms, vacation rentals, and other hospitality settings.
A Growing Trend: Voice-Powered Hotel Rooms
By harnessing the Internet of Things (IoT), voice assistants like the Amazon Echo are able to help guests control the lighting and temperature in their rooms, make calls and requests to the front desk, play music, check the weather, or play entertainment on the in-room television, for example.
"We've done some piloting today on a small scale in the hotel context," said Amazon vice president Daniel Rausch. "It's helped us understand more about how to work with hotels and what kinds of features they want."
A number of hotel brands have already piloted the use of the Amazon Echo in their rooms — Best Western, Dream Hotels, and Wynn Resorts among them.
Marriott also debuted its own IoT Guestroom Lab last year at its headquarters office in Bethesda, Maryland, which showcased the use of voice technology to control the room. Marriott's Aloft brand has also carried out previous pilots with Apple's Siri, in addition to Amazon's Alexa.
These various pilots with multiple hotels have led Amazon to conclude, "We know we're onto something in the hotel context," said Rausch.
"Almost 90 percent of guests who have had an in-room Alexa experience have rated it as a good or excellent experience," he added. "Seven out of 10 guests who have had an in-room Alexa experience would specifically request a room with Alexa in it for their next stay."
Since Alexa for Business debuted, Amazon has also been working on integrating its technology with back-of-house hotel technology platforms such as DigiValet, Intelity, Volara, and Nuvola. Integrating with these systems is something that, up to now, has been somewhat of a challenge for voice technology providers.
In April, for example, Amazon announced a partnership with Volara that enables guests to use the Amazon Echo to make phone calls. Today, Sonifi Solutions, a hospitality technology solutions provider announced its ow
