Room With A Voice

Heightened in-room entertainment is not about offering guests convenience, but about matching their expectations, and ensuring they are more relaxed and productive during their stay

- Pradeep Suvarna

In a conventional situation, when guest want amenities or towels, they have to call the housekeeping department from the room phone and place their request. Well, things are evolving. In some Marriott hotels, guests can soon state their requests for these items to an Amazon Echo device in their rooms and the housekeeping department will simply send it to their room.

HOW, YOU ASK?

It is courtesy the recent Alexa for Hospitality programme by Amazon, which the company announced in June 2018, nearly seven months after announcing Alexa for Business. It offers hotels an Amazon Echo device that can be used as a voice-activated virtual concierge in each room.

While explaining the programme’s functionality and utility at a New York preview, Amazon’s VP, Daniel Rausch said, “It is a set of tools that allows hotels to build immersive experiences with Alexa right into the hotel context, the brand context and the guest stay.”

Initially, Marriott International has signed up as Amazon’s launch partner on the new platform, since it has been testing both Siri and Alexa devices for various other applications. It is expected that the hotel chain will introduce the new Alexa solution at select properties in Westin Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, Aloft Hotels, and Autograph Collection Hotels in the Americas. At the same time, Amazon is also inviting other hospitality providers to leverage this solution using customised Echo devices that will be installed in guest rooms.

If you thought that this solution can only be used for ordering stuff from the housekeeping department, you have another think coming. Guests can use the Alexa solution to place in-room dining requests, speak to the concierge or the front desk or book spa appointments.