Chatbot Charm: How Conversational AI is Transforming Customer Engagement in the Hospitality Industry

With the platform, you can be sure to boost your guests’ experience, reduce staff fatigue, and set up an elaborate system processing requests in a blink of an eye. Let’s say people want to ask if the pool is open right now or if the hotel has a gym. Now, the software can instantly give them all the information they need.

By integrating hospitality chatbots into hotel and travel websites and other messaging platforms, businesses can meet the evolving needs and high expectations of today’s customers. For some industries, especially financial services, compliance is a key concern. One of the benefits of automated chatbots and voice assistants is that the solution can only respond how it was programmed, whereas agents can go off script and potentially say the wrong thing. Hospitality businesses are leveraging Conversational AI to engage with guests even before their arrival. Chatbots can send personalized welcome messages, share useful information about the hotel or restaurant, and offer special promotions or upgrades.

Reduce Call Center Volume with 24/7 Personalized Self-Service for the Travel and Hospitality Industry

Here, implementing conversational AI can boost the number of direct bookings and increase revenue from upselling. Conversational AI can analyse information presented by travellers in the chat and use it to offer attractive personalised recommendations aligned with their preferences. Nurturing the interest increases the likelihood of progressing onto the booking state. Machine learning is an AI technique that allows machines to learn from experience. The more it performs, the more it knows without being explicitly programmed.

One example of how this works at scale is Cendyn’s new AI call center integration, created with Poly AI. The streamlined system embeds AI into the call center to respond naturally to certain queries, which reduces wait times and provides more personalized service at scale – especially for loyalty members. Thus, in addition to optimizing for query-based search, hotels need to optimize for chat-based search. That has massive implications for how hotels prioritize their customer service investments. By embedding a conversational layer across its systems, hotels can provide better service to guests (who overwhelmingly prefer self-service) without having to invest in more labor resources.

How can you set up a voice agent with vTalk.ai?

Guests don’t need to wander through a website, search for info and make the reservation independently. Chatbots typically recommend customised services and benefits when talking with customers based on their previous conversations and desires. During this process, the chatbot will upsell and cross-sell the services that customers may be interested in, which increases business revenue.

This deflection bot saved over 2,000 calls a day and led to high customer satisfaction. So don’t miss out on the opportunity to unlock the true potential of conversational AI. Embrace this transformative technology, and let the magic of conversational AI weave unforgettable experiences for your guests.

Trend #2. Preserving Time and Finances

The traditional way to market it would be through social media and print ads, leaflets and brochures, etc. Not only are these channels expensive, but the conversions too aren’t great. Another benefit is increasing RevPAR and cost per available room with upselling and cross-selling (American Hotel & Lodging Association, 2023). The AI-powered virtual concierge can recommend personalised activities and special offers to hotel guests by leveraging data from previous conversations, enquiries, or data available in a PMS. Such a tailored and attentive service strengthens the connection to the hotel brand and boosts loyalty, resulting in potential returning customers. Conversational AI chatbots, voice assistants, and interactive voice response (IVR) systems are used widely in the Travel and Hospitality industry.

Most sophisticated voice agents can offer hyper-personalized assistance. What is more, they work for people who are used to traditional means of communication and today’s digital-savvy guests. You can offer guests an AI-powered virtual concierge service throughout their stay at the hotel.

Unleashing the Power of AI: A Deep Dive into Digital Assistants and Chatbots

So, you need to call a hotel at midnight and book a room to stay one more night. You look around and see all the people from the canceled flight doing the same. With the end of Universal Analytics approaching, hoteliers have a lot of questions about the transition to GA4. Customers mostly rely on online reviews as trusted sources while booking trips or hotel reservations. Yet they remain woefully underutilized because the functionality hasn’t kept up with consumer expectations.

Seamlessly integrated with existing reservation systems, Conversational AI ensures accuracy, efficiency, and a seamless booking journey for guests. One of the biggest benefits of chatbots is their ability to provide 24/7 customer service. This means that customers can get help whenever they need it, without having to wait for business hours or deal with long wait times. Conversational AI, chatbots, and voice assistants are a key component of customer care.

From Chats to Stays: Exploring Conversational AI in Hospitality

Read more about Conversational AI Hospitality here.