Priceline adds voice capabilities from OpenAI to “Penny” chatbot

Two notable benefits are the consistency of responses and being a preferred method for those customers whose preferred method of communication is online chat. While robots also improve the customer experience, chatbots have more emphasis in this area because standard questions are more frequently asked to chatbots on websites. Oftentimes, potential customers will ask chatbots questions about amenities, daily specials for hotel restaurants, and operating hours. Ensuring that these questions are answered correctly each time increases customer satisfaction as the customer experiences exactly what they were told. The online travel agency is embracing AI with a suite of 40 new booking and upgrade tools developed using Google Cloud’s Generative AI App Builder. At the heart of it is “Penny,” an AI chatbot that runs across Priceline’s entire hotel network and can be used as a local guide, help desk contact, and 24/7 concierge.

Once, science-fiction predicted that we would eventually live in a world filled with robots that make our lives simpler and easier. They’re bits of code that live in the technology we use every day. We tested ChatGPT Plus last month and found frequent errors that would force the user to abandon a chatbot conversation and start over.

AI – from buzz to practical implementations in hospitality

The Sabre customer service team has been using the tool when hoteliers call, which Wilson said can be especially useful for new call center agents. So far, he said it’s led to a “double-digit reduction” in call times. Generative AI presents a very significant opportunity for companies to drive growth, reduce costs, and enhance customer satisfaction. Yet, for them to fully capitalize on the potential of the technology, companies must take the time and develop a comprehensive strategy that aligns with their business objectives. The internal teams are already utilizing it, so it is crucial to ensure everyone is using it correctly to maximize profits and productivity. Less technical staff or novices to data can access the solution, enter a search via the chatbot, and then apply their findings across sales, marketing, operations, and distribution strategies.

At The Lindy Renaissance Charleston Hotel, Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Hotel and Renaissance Nashville Downtown, guests can test out the technology by using a QR code to connect with RENAI via text message or WhatsApp. This is true across all industries and completely understandable. We saw this with the rise of the internet, where the dream was of low-cost distribution. Instead, it made demand more predictable and massively expanded supply, and I believe that AI will also change travel and hotels in ways that we can’t yet fully appreciate, but where we are starting to see clues.

In addition, we get to see the traveler across many different verticals. So, while an airline may know a lot of habits about that person in terms of their flight things they like to do, how they like to do their flights, they don’t know a lot about their hotel preferences. They certainly don’t know about what they like to do when they get to wherever they’re visiting.

We just started that a couple of years ago, so it’s relatively early, but it’s definitely something that when I am deciding… If you live in the US, you may know, I hope you know Booking.com, but you may know Kayak better, or you may know OpenTable, or you may know Priceline. And if you’re in Europe, you definitely know Booking.com — so a number of different brands.

Accor Hotels: AI Trip Planning Assistant

Currently, Penny’s capabilities focus mainly on hotel bookings, but Priceline has ambitious plans to expand its offerings to include flights, rental cars, and vacation packages. This broader scope aims to provide users with a complete travel booking experience. “We’re just scratching the surface of what AI can do in the travel space,” Keller noted, indicating that future iterations of Penny will include even more advanced features. Priceline’s launch of Penny marks a pivotal moment in the integration of AI into travel. The chatbot doesn’t just handle basic queries—it’s an intelligent, conversational assistant that anticipates user needs.

Hilton’s partnership with IBM has brought “Connie,” a Watson-enabled AI robot, to its concierge desks. Connie assists guests by providing information on local attractions, hotel services, and amenities using advanced natural language processing techniques. This not only speeds up the information delivery process but also adds a futuristic touch to guest services.

AI’s prowess in forecasting flight patterns and streamlining itineraries dovetails with LLMs’ capability to help tourism agencies craft content that resonates across cultures. Together, they promise not just enhanced experiences for travelers but also streamlined operations for businesses in the travel sector. We hope our blog has guided you well into diving through the world of AI for your hospitality businesses to reap as many benefits as possible while generating maximum RoI. As a dedicated AI software development company, we can help you enhance your hospitality services through artificial intelligence, thanks to our robust experience and portfolio of successful AI projects. Our team is proficient in the latest AI technologies, designing solutions that integrate seamlessly into your existing operations to boost both efficiency and guest satisfaction.

• Leveraging these cost reductions without compromising service quality, we’re forecasting more hotels and more vacation rentals in currently lesser-known locales.
• It’s really stitching together all elements of a trip so that we can provide a great service to them.
• So, we have to follow the rules, and we are following the rules, and we are doing all the things necessary for that.
• That’s why many travelers rely on itineraries to help map out what each day of the trip will look like.
• It’s about creating a future where technology handles the routine, allowing human creativity and emotional intelligence to soar.
• President and co-founder Eric Gnock Fah said Klook has built up domestic travel offerings.

At the bottom of the response, there is an option to share the conversation with another user, who can then continue the conversation. With a family of 19 hotel brands and IHG One Rewards, one of the world’s largest hotel loyalty programmes, IHG has over 6,300 open hotels in more than 100 countries, and a development pipeline of over 2,000 properties. To explore the IHG Hotels & Resorts global brands or book your next stay, download the IHG One Rewards App. ” Additional features will launch in the months following the Travel Planner’s public launch. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, the ultra-low-fare national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is launching an ambitious recruitment drive with its Go Pink campaign. The airline said in a statement that pilots and cabin crew from GoFirst, the latest Indian carrier to file for insolvency proceedings, are encouraged to apply.

Priceline has introduced personalized, generative AI-created itineraries into its iOS app, including dining and activity options, created using OpenAI’s GTP-4 Turbo. AAI will use SITA’s Smart Path, Passenger Flow Management (PFM) solution and Face Pods technologies that offer biometric ChatGPT solutions at most touch points across the airport. Under the terms of the agreement, Dusit International and Saigontourist Group said they will share technical expertise, experience, and best practices to help elevate the quality and effectiveness of tourism services in both countries.

Radical Innovation: Employees as AI Co-Creators and Shareholders

This evolution marks a major leap forward in how AI can enhance the customer journey. At the core of Penny’s abilities is OpenAI’s GPT-4o and its Realtime API, which enable the chatbot to understand complex queries and deliver personalized recommendations with natural language processing. Keller highlighted OpenAI’s role, noting, “We partnered with several companies, but OpenAI’s technology has truly set the bar.” Penny uses multimodal AI, processing both voice and text to offer an intuitive, hands-free interaction. Keller added, “Booking travel should be as easy as having a conversation,” underscoring the company’s goal to simplify the process. This first-of-its-kind agreement between the two carriers aims to capitalise on opportunities to boost tourism to the United Arab Emirates from key source markets by enabling visitors to experience more than one destination in a single itinerary.

We’d make it even better for the consumers, and we provide more competition to the flight business. As part of its 2024 roadmap, Maestro PMS will also announce new mobile tools for housekeeping designed to improve the employee experience and boost loyalty in this labor-intensive department. Enhancements to its popular digital gift card program will also be revealed, including offering new “themed” options that enable hotels to customize gift card designs by holiday, promotion, or location. Selling gift cards, both on property and using Maestro’s online gift card feature, redeemable for hotel stays and amenities is a viable way to drive millions of dollars in untapped revenues without impacting service.

The Gen AI technology within Amadeus Advisor allows for instantaneous collection of detailed insights, expediting the analysis of complex data and aiding in strategic business planning. Hotel revenue managers can easily obtain information on average daily rates, room nights, and revenue pipelines, streamlining the entire process and eliminating the need for manual data searches. Amadeus has announced a partnership with Microsoft to introduce an AI-powered chatbot designed to revolutionise the way hoteliers access and interpret business intelligence data.

And that’s far from the only option for the AI-inclined traveler. One risk of chatbot use is frustration if a guest asks a question and the content does not exist on the website. The hotel must ensure that websites have comprehensive and correct information.

Priceline is one of the first brands to use OpenAI’s GPT-4o-powered Realtime API to enable the voice capabilities in its chatbot. OpenAI announced its public beta of Realtime API on Tuesday, giving paid developers the chance to build speech-to-speech interactions using a number of preset voices. In an effort to broaden Bard’s accessibility, Google is expanding support for additional languages, enabling more users worldwide to benefit from its advanced capabilities. This expansion includes features like image uploads with Lens, search images in responses, and the ability to modify Bard’s responses, now accessible in over 40 languages. Weiss added that the tool will be there for those who really want to try it, but it won’t disrupt the experience for those who want to continue searching and booking as they currently do.

Specifically that’s what I mean, a customer-facing LLM system — can it do it? I believe she’s actually the President of the United States in secret — that’s my conspiracy theory. In the United States, the experience of buying Taylor Swift ticket was basically horrible. We did an entire episode on the antitrust law changes in the ’80s that led to Ticketmaster, that led to literally congressional hearings about Taylor Swift and Ticketmaster. You mentioned politics, and talking about regulation versus politics, but it is election season in the United States.

Shortly after, Google, Anthropic, Meta, and others launched their own large language models (LLMs), and users flocked to them too. When ChatGPT debuted in November 2022, it attracted over 100 million users in under two months, the fastest-growing consumer application in history. By comparison, it took the internet seven years to reach that number and Facebook and YouTube over four years. Training and upskilling employees is another crucial component of a Generative AI strategy. Companies need to ensure that their employees possess the skills and knowledge necessary to work effectively with the new technology.

The goal is to use AI to enhance, not replace, the personal connections that define exceptional service. Gamification offers a powerful tool to make the transition to AI-enhanced operations more engaging and effective for employees. To successfully integrate AI and address longstanding industry challenges, hotels can adopt the Blue Ocean Fair Process. ai hotel chatbot This approach ensures that changes are implemented collaboratively, with buy-in from all stakeholders. However, a paradigm shift is underway, driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and a renewed focus on employee value. In an era of rapid technological advancement and evolving consumer expectations, the hotel industry stands at a crossroads.

Forecast annual percentage increase in hotels using chatbots worldwide in 2022, by hotel type

On a call with analysts May 3, Booking Chief Executive Glenn Fogel said AI could bring more customers to its platforms. Fogel also believes that chatbots can cut down on how often customers need to contact a live agent. While Gemini already offers vacation suggestions, the trip planner will include an interface with customizable tools. For instance, you can punch in what time you wish to wake up and let Gemini adjust your itinerary automatically. Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the hospitality industry and improving core aspects of hotel management.

Do you think of those core functions, like marketing or, more specifically, technology, as things that you share? Because that’s a pretty big cost across any sort of web property or service property like you run. You mentioned the idea that you’re going to help people with all of their travel needs, basically, wherever they are. There’s a lot happening in travel that I want to talk about, but I’m curious about the big picture. AR/VR-powered software can revolutionize how guests interact with the hotel before even beginning their journey. Potential guests can take virtual tours of rooms and facilities or see realistic previews of amenities and local attractions.

AI algorithms can optimize pricing strategies dynamically based on factors such as demand fluctuations, competitor pricing, and historical data analysis, ensuring hotels maximize profitability while remaining competitive in the market. Furthermore, AI can facilitate predictive analytics to forecast demand patterns accurately, allowing hotels to allocate resources efficiently and optimize inventory management. This proactive approach minimizes the risk of overbooking or underutilization of rooms, ultimately improving revenue management and operational efficiency. AI tools can monitor and analyze feedback across multiple platforms in real time, allowing hotel management to address any issues promptly. This approach to reputation management can significantly enhance guest satisfaction and loyalty. AI-driven data analytics tools will be used to process vast amounts of operational data in real time.

I’ve been at the company now since 2000, so I’ve been here a long time; I helped do all the deals. So, when we brought a company in, all of them were very small when we bought them, and one of the key things to get entrepreneurs to come and stay with us was to create an independent management style. You can foun additiona information about ai customer service and artificial intelligence and NLP. So, the people who had started these companies would want to continue to do what they’re doing so well.

New AI technology for revenue management should be used to price packages and personalize offers based on user preferences. Automated recruiting tools use AI to find applicants and chatbots can screen applicants. After hiring, e-learning platforms support employee training and development. Digital payments are trending and transforming the way guests are engaging with services and settling transactions.

We got really into why a company like Booking.com exists in the first place. Anyone who’s part of a hotel or airline reward program here in the US has probably noticed recently that those companies are working really hard right now to cut out the middleman and get you to book directly with them. Some airlines, for example, now only let you earn reward miles for direct booking.

• Through ChatGPT, Khalid, Almosafer’s virtual travel advisor, will be empowered to become a more holistic travel consultant with the necessary knowledge and expertise.
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• Easyway last September released an AI-powered chatbot for guests, which hotels can integrate into messaging apps like Whatsapp.

The chatbot is designed to be user-friendly, enabling even those with limited technical expertise to utilise the tool effectively. It can be used across various hotel operations, including sales, marketing, and distribution strategies, to apply the insights gained from the data. The collaboration aims to simplify the data analysis process for hotel industry professionals, offering them an efficient tool to make informed, data-driven decisions.

In the short term, the sector’s dreams of cost cutting and increasing efficiency are coming true, which helps it to look more favorably on AI. In the long term, the opportunities AI gives us are likely to increase the complexity of operations and drive a shift to distributed management. Airbnb also last year launched an AI-powered “anti-party” system designed to screen bookings for potential misuse. Meanwhile, travel companies ChatGPT App are emphasizing their AI push to investors. During first quarter earnings call over the past month, internet stock analysts at Jefferies found that AI was mentioned most often by executives in the travel subsector, followed by e-commerce companies. “That said, the extent to which Expedia’s Romie or Booking’s AI tools gain adoption, could lead to a higher mix of direct and repeat traffic … and higher profitability.”