USA TODAY International Edition
AI developing to provide a genuine warm welcome
Hotels that promise a futuristic experience are once again enlisting robots as their newest employees. It’s chic and cutting edge, but history shows that it doesn’t always translate to a warm welcome.
Hotels are often a traveler’s first impression of a new place. They are the guides to attractions and the experts on local restaurants. They play a vital role in a city’s growth, but much of it relies on personable interactions and recommendations.
With the help of marketers and local businesses to develop personalized messaging, hoteliers have an opportunity to expand their reach by using artificial intelligence to be a city’s most important person: the local.
In 2015, Japan’s Henn na Hotel claimed to be the first of its kind to welcome an AI staff, with guests greeted by robotic dinosaurs as front- desk assistants. Four years later, the hotel laid off roughly half of its 243 robots.
Turns out that the velociraptor in a bellhop cap couldn’t scan passports or answer specific questions about flight schedules or bus routes. The robots couldn’t physically reach every floor in the building, meaning human employees still had to step in. The robots couldn’t replace humans, but the novelty had begun to replace luxury.
COVID accelerates contactless
Despite the glitches, AI concierges have reentered the scene since the start of the COVID- 19 pandemic as a contactless alternative to typical hotel stays. The American Hotel and Lodging Association released a study in 2020 that showed 85% of travelers were more comfortable with using technology to reduce direct contact with hotel staff.
That meant hoteliers could extend a robot’s role beyond delivering food and drinks and could experiment with more human- like interactions.
But the only way this was achievable was by shifting the focus from visual novelty to a focus on conversations that feel genuine.
Greeting a dinosaur at the front desk didn’t feel sincere, but texting AI bots to see what they’re up to that night can feel like a casual interaction with friends.
The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas encourages guests to text the hotel’s AI bot Rose, “the Resident Mischief-Maker” who brags that she can “hook you up” with the best restaurants in town.
That the AI text bot can create more personable interactions with the consumer than an anthropomorphized robot suggests that it’s not the visual that creates a human touch, but the content. If marketers get involved in developing ad content, businesses can leverage machine learning to showcase their products in a way that feels natural.
A Rose by any other name
Rose’s appeal is that the bot uses informal speech to talk about her favorite things around town. She presents herself as a local AI resident, recommending the closest restaurants still taking reservations.
This doesn’t just appeal to local businesses that rely on referrals from hotel concierges. With AI centered on texting, marketers can steer the conversation on behalf of restaurateurs and other stakeholders in hospitality, developing content strategies for AI- consumer interactions. It’s a rare out- of- home advertising experience that can still reach consumers in an intimate setting and on their own terms.
If marketers and advertisers equip machine learning with the right things to say, hoteliers can partner with local businesses to create brand strategies that feel authentic.
Marketers should see AI in the hospitality industry as an opportunity to reach travelers in a personable way. The industry is best equipped to develop content that will improve machine learning in a way that helps stakeholders across the industry.
Hotels create luxury spaces, businesses create innovative experiences and marketers can develop the language that creates the missing piece that only locals can offer: warm welcomes.