New Travel Technology with the Amazon Alexa

Bringing Amazon Alexa to Hotel Rooms

Travel technology is something that is constantly being changed and innovated to best fit the needs of today’s travelers. An up and coming trend in the world of technology are the smart devices that listen and respond to your questions and requests. Debatably one of the most popular devices currently available is the Echo and Echo Dot featuring the Amazon Alexa.

In November, Amazon announced the launch of Alexa for Business division, and now they are looking to invade the travel space with this innovative technology. Brands like Marriott will soon features Amazon Alexa in hotel rooms, vacation rentals, and other hospitality settings with the debut of Alexa for Hospitality.

Travel Technology and Voice-Powered Hotel Rooms

If you have an Echo or an Echo dot at home, you’re probably familiar with the device’s ability to control various aspects of your house, including lighting, temperature, music, checking the weather, making phone calls, and more. These are all features that can add to the guest experience when vacationing at a resort or hotel.

Some brands like Best Western and Wynn Resorts have already tested Amazon Echo in their rooms. These have proven to provide a positive experience with 90 percent of guests rating it as a good or excellent experience. And many said they would request an Alexa device in their room during their next stay.

Amazon also recently partnered with Volara, which allows guests to utilize the Amazon Echo to make phone calls. Alexa for Hospitality is also compatible with hotel guest room entertainment providers.

Hospitality Specific Skills

Guests will be able to enjoy the traditional Amazon Alexa skills that they are familiar with from home, along with some added features that are customized by the brand.

Marriott could create their own special playlist that’s the default music, contact the front desk directly, or allows guests to ask for specific requests. Westin, a well-ness minded brand, can offer guests answers to the best local jogging routes. More and more of these features will be made available with time, based on how guests are interacting with the Echo.

As for privacy concerns, hotels are unable to access voice recordings and Amazon cannot link voice recordings to individual guests. The recordings will be deleted daily, and the devices will be muted unless a guest chooses to unmute them.

Keep an eye out for future updates on Alexa for Hospitality and in the meantime, browse our selection of resort deals at popular brands…many that will eventually feature the Echo service.

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