Vodafone uses Generative AI to transform the hotel experience

Every year, travel operators and tourism businesses head to Madrid for FiturTechY, a five-day event sharing the latest industry trends, products and services.

Together with tech partner Eviden, Vodafone Business attended and presented a virtual assistant based on Generative AI that can improve the guest experience.

A virtual receptionist

The virtual assistant acts like a receptionist, interacting with guests and giving them useful information about the hotel and the local area, as well as sharing the availability of activities and things to do in the area. This means customers can plan their stay, avoiding queues and disappointment.

Using artificial intelligence, the assistant can communicate naturally with guests in multiple languages and provide enriched answers through intelligent virtual support. For example, the assistant is able to recognise the guest’s intention and can work out whether they are just looking for information or whether they want the assistant to act on their behalf.

With the guest’s permission, the assistant can then interact with the hotel’s systems or even through third-party applications, depending on what has been requested. This could hugely simplify tasks like making reservations at a restaurant or booking theatre tickets.

Understanding guest movements

Working with another tech partner, Fractalia, Vodafone Business also presented a solution called REM Data.

REM Data makes it possible to monitor and analyse physical spaces. Managers can use it to find out how many people are in an area at any given time, whether the capacity for that space has been exceeded, how long visits have lasted and how many customers are waiting to be served.

This is most helpful in areas like hotel restaurants or swimming pools. The management teams can then get a better understanding of how the hotel is being used and when to make improvements to its operations.

Managed from a user-friendly, intuitive app, customers can review and receive the data gathered daily, weekly or monthly.

Improving energy efficiency

Finally, in partnership with energy equipment and solutions specialists EcoMT, Vodafone Business presented TechYRoom, a cloud-based software solution that can streamline the routine tasks of hotel maintenance technicians, receptionists, and cleaning staff.

Bringing together voice control, generative AI and IoT automation technologies in a single tool, TechYRoom allows employees to use voice commands such as 'I want a hotel energy report' or 'room cleaning 103 completed' to help them complete their everyday duties.

In addition, TechYRoom also allows guests to adjust their comfort level during their stay using voice command, according to energy efficiency criteria.