robot concierge
AI in the Hospitality Industry: Pros and Cons
Donald Fomby | September 18, 2019
By Donald Fomby Over the last several years, AI-powered technologies like voice- and text-enabled assistants and chatbots have become a usual part of our lives. In fact, we should be approaching the point where we would be totally okay with AI managing our homes. Even though sci-fi movies have led us to believe that AI’s ultimate purpose is to take over humanity, its main goal is to serve us and make our lives better. Serving people and providing them with pleasant hospitality as some of the goals of AI make it a perfect fit for the hospitality industry. So, instead of taking over and telling us what to do, AI can assist hospitalit...
Don’t Sweat the Hotel Robots…Yet
ALICE | April 19, 2016
Last month, Hilton Hotels, in partnership with IBM, introduced "Connie," the first Watson-enabled robot concierge for the hospitality industry. Named for the founder of Hilton Hotels, Conrad Hilton, Connie can tell guests where to eat, what to do nearby, and what they need to know about the hotel's amenities and services. Connie uses both a combination of Watson APIs and information gleaned from WayBlazer to deliver its picks. And the more guests interact with Connie, the more the robot will "learn" and thus adjust its recommendations. Currently, Connie is only available at the Hilton McLean in Virginia. But Hilton isn't the only one te...