Alexa becomes a virtual concierge who is always available in the room, ready to provide useful information and innovative services to guests and staff to make their stay and facility management activities more pleasant and comfortable.
Structure information
Alexa provides guests with detailed information about the facility and all available services, offering a comprehensive guide to maximize their comfort during their stay.
Local information
Alexa can help the guest by providing answers and advice on attractions, places to visit, restaurants, and services in the area. This information is taught to Alexa by the facility staff so that the voice assistant can give the same answers provided by the front desk.
Images
Every piece of information Alexa provides to guests can be accompanied by a dedicated image, thus enriching the content, experience and interaction provided through the Echo Show device (equipped with a touch screen).
Multilingual
Alexa can understand requests and respond to commands in multiple languages. Right now the languages Italian and English are available, and during 2024 German, French, and Spanish will also be available for content and services.
Categories
The information entered into the web control panel provided by NAVOO, which allows for the management of Alexa’s features, is categorized to allow for easier management by staff, and ease of use by guests in interacting with Alexa.
Sorting information
During some interactions Alexa may list services or information. It is possible to decide the order of importance with which such content should appear, prioritizing the main services.
The web control panel allows detailed content to be entered for each piece of information that Alexa will need to know, related to the facility or services offered by the location. The information provided is enunciated by Alexa according to the request made by the guest.
General Information
It is necessary to indicate for each piece of information its name, what categories it belongs to, write a detailed description, and add an image. This content is used to give answers to general questions, for example, “Alexa, tell me about breakfast.”
Where it is located
The guest could ask Alexa where a particular service offered or recommended is located. You can then indicate the location within the facility or the address. For example following the question “Alexa, where is the breakfast room?”
Schedules
Some services offered by the accommodation, may be active only at specific times. To give this information to the guest, you can fill in the dedicated field, which will be used to give answers to questions such as “Alexa, what time can you have breakfast?”
Phone number
What if the guest wants to know how to contact one of the departments in the facility via telephone? She can ask the virtual concierge by pronouncing, “Alexa, how can I contact the breakfast room?” Alexa will provide the specific information, retrieved from this web control panel field.
Price
Alexa is also used by guests, in the privacy of their room, to get information they might not want to ask for at the front desk. For example, the cost of a service, with questions such as “Alexa, how much is breakfast in the room?” All details about the costs of each service, can be entered in a dedicated field.
Operating Instructions
There is no limit to the services and items that can be provided to guests, and then also to the explanations of how to use them! For example, a guest might ask, “Alexa, how does the coffee maker work?”
Reservation
Alexa is a tool that can be used to help the guest book additional services, thus supporting upselling activities during the stay. Facility staff will be able to choose which services and information Alexa should propose the booking option for. For example, after telling about breakfast service in the room, Alexa might ask the guest, “Do you want to book this service?”
With Alexa, you can send requests for items, services and assistance directly from your room using voice commands. This customization enables facilities to offer faster and more efficient service, improving the overall guest experience during their stay and facilitating the work of staff.
Through the ease of a voice command, guests can request items or services from Alexa, such as extra towels or breakfast in the room, directly from the comfort of their room.
Objects and services that can be requested
Through the web control panel provided by NAVOO, you can add and customize items and services that guests can request in the room.
Quantity
If the “quantity” option is activated, Alexa will also ask the guest for the desired number of pieces, which may need more than one additional towel, for example.
Paid items
Before he/she can confirm the request, the guest will be informed by Alexa about the possible cost of what he/she has requested. The cost can be customized by room type. For example, towels can be requested free of charge from a Suite, while there is a charge for a Classic.
Recipients of requests
The system forwards the received requests to multiple recipients at the same time, via e-mail, SMS or even on an Echo device (placed in the reception area, for example), being able to differentiate recipients by type of request.
With Alexa, guests can request assistance in repairing malfunctioning items and report problems or maintenance that needs to be done.
Reportable problems
Through the web control panel provided by NAVOO, it is possible to add and customize objects and services for which guests can submit a malfunction report or request repair.
Specific responses
Once the request is collected, Alexa can give pre-filled information specific to each situation. For example, for a shower that makes cold water, he will be able to say that the maintenance staff will take action as soon as possible, while for a TV that does not turn on, he will be able to confirm that he has collected the request and forwarded it to the front desk.
Recipients of requests
The system forwards requests received to multiple recipients at once, via e-mail, SMS or even on an Echo device (placed in the maintenance staff office, for example), being able to differentiate recipients by type of request.
By installing an Echo device in reception or other rooms used by staff, it will be possible to make requests on behalf of guests by interacting with Alexa.
Devices with special authorizations
Some devices can be authorized through the control panel for them to make requests on behalf of guests. For example, through an Echo device placed in the reception area, one can say “Alexa, I need a towel,” the system will understand that the request is coming from a device with special permissions, and Alexa will ask which room the request is being made for.
Recipients of requests
As with requests made from the room, the system also forwards the communications received to multiple recipients at once, via e-mail, SMS or even on an Echo device (placed in the maintenance staff office, for example), being able to differentiate recipients by type of request.
Through Alexa, guests can get more details about checkout, request from their room that it be prepared or even postponed.
Checkout information
It is possible to ask Alexa for details about checkout. The voice assistant will provide all the information about schedules, how you need to proceed, where to leave the keys, how to make payment… (think of a B&B unmanned by a front desk, for example).
Checkout preparation
Guests can ask Alexa to prepare the checkout. The request will be transferred to the front desk, which can, for example, begin to prepare the pre-account, check payments made, calculate the tourist tax; in this way, guest exit processes can be anticipated and expedited.
Delayed checkout
By interacting with Alexa, guests can send requests to the front desk to postpone the end of their stay, directly from their room. It will be the responsibility of the front desk to verify the possibility and contact the guest again.
Target audience
Checkout-related requests can be sent through different communication channels (SMS, email, and notifications on Echo devices) to multiple staff recipients simultaneously.
Using the web control panel provided by NAVOO, messages can be sent directly to Echo devices in the rooms.
Notifications
When a notification reaches the Echo device in the room it makes the typical sound of an incoming message. If equipped with a screen, the device will display an icon in the upper right corner. However, if the Echo device does not have a screen, it will emit a pulsing yellow light. Alexa will read the text of the received message only after hearing the phrase “Alexa, what are my notifications?” Thus, the user experience is the same as what guests are used to at home, for example, when they receive notification from Amazon of an incoming package.
Announcements
When an announcement reaches the Echo device in the room, the text of the message is read immediately by Alexa. In case of Echo Show device, which has a screen, the textual content will also be viewable. The guest does not have to take any action to hear the message, however, if he/she is not present in the room, he/she will not be able to re-listen to it.
Persistent images
Through the control panel, one can send Echo Show devices an image (which will go in the background) and text that will be superimposed on it automatically. When this content reaches the Echo device, no sound is played and Alexa does not read the text. The message remains on the fixed screen until the guest taps an appropriate button to close the message.
Immediate Alerts
It is a very particular type of announcement. When sent, the Echo device is automatically set to maximum volume, and the announcement is read 5 times at 30-second intervals. It can be used to support communication, in situations where very urgent alerts need to be given to guests (note: Alexa Smart Properties cannot be used as an alarm or emergency system).
Instant sending
Once a message is created in the web control panel, it can be sent immediately to the devices in the selected rooms with a single click. It is useful in case you need to notify guests of updates quickly. For example, confirm that breakfast in the room is coming.
Scheduled sending
You can also create messages and set the date and time when you want them delivered to the rooms. The typical use case is to confirm a reservation for a service, or use the night hours to write messages to be delivered in the morning to greet guests.
Recurrent sending
Every Wednesday there is an aperitif at the pool? A message can be scheduled by indicating the days of the week and the time when it should be delivered to the rooms automatically.
Room selection
Each message can be sent to a single room or to several rooms at once. In rooms with more than one Echo device, the message will be delivered to all devices in the room.
Templates
Each message can be sent to a single room or to several rooms at once. In rooms with more than one Echo device, the message will be delivered to all devices in the room.
With Alexa, you can promote your facility’s services, suggest activities, and understand your guests’ needs, enabling you to increase upselling and improve your service.
The screens displayed in rotation on Echo Shows are a valuable promotional tool. Through images and text, it is possible to suggest to the guest how to use Alexa, illustrate the hotel’s services and products, and be able to manage and edit their content independently through the web control panel provided by NAVOO.
An always-updated virtual storefront that displays information immediately as soon as the guest opens the room door, even if they are not interacting with Alexa via voice.
A virtual showcase, always up-to-date and available to the guest, who can also ask Alexa for insights into services of interest to them.
Information and suggestions
Marketing screens provide an opportunity to suggest to new guests to the facility how to use Alexa, explaining the various functions of the voice assistant and recommending the most typical questions to ask her. For example, one can give information about the facility, suggest outside attractions and services, and explain how to request items and services in the room. Screens alternate automatically interspersed with local weather forecasts.
Upselling
Using marketing screens, the facility can discreetly and elegantly present available services and active promotions, suggesting to the guest how to ask Alexa for more details. Every piece of information is thus always accessible and any doubts can be resolved directly in the comfort of the room, promoting the possibility of selling ancillary services and increasing upselling.
Through interaction with Alexa, feedback can be received from guests, being able to quickly and interactively detect the level of enjoyment of their stay and the reasons for it. Instant notifications sent to staff allow them to take action while the guest is still in the facility.
In addition to being a virtual concierge, Alexa is also valuable in providing other services such as entertainment, music, news, weather forecasts, and more.
Alarm clocks
With Alexa, it will no longer be necessary to purchase alarm clocks or ask reception staff to handle this task. Thanks to Alexa, guests can set alarm clocks and timers directly from their room with complete autonomy.
Bluetooth speaker
Alexa easily connects via Bluetooth to the guest’s device, allowing them to listen to their music in a few simple steps.
Weather
The guest may ask, for example,
“Alexa, how is the traffic for the airport?”.
The voice assistant knows the location of the accommodation, and can give real-time traffic information.
Weather
Alexa can give information about the weather forecast of both the location (“Alexa, tell me the weather”) or of other areas (“Alexa, what will the weather be in Venice tomorrow?”), allowing guests to better inform themselves and manage the scheduling of their activities. In addition, in Echo Show devices, forecasts for the next few hours automatically appear among the rotating screens.
News
Alexa can provide up-to-date news at any time. Without having to turn on the TV and search for a newscast that is broadcasting them, or using the smartphone, the guest can say
“Alexa, what’s the news?”
and listen to it while she is doing something else, like unpacking her suitcase or getting ready to go out to dinner!
Radio and music
Alexa can play major radio stations and music streaming channels for free. There is no need to link your own personal account, just say “Alexa, play the radio”, o “Alexa, play Radio Monte Carlo” o “Alexa, play classical music”.
Games and other skills
Using the web control panel provided by NAVOO, you activate the “apps” for Alexa (which are technically called “skills”). Activatable skills include many games that through voice interaction can entertain guests of all ages! Plus skills that guide the guest to exercise, relax, and more! The activation and use of such applications does not incur any cost, neither for the hotelier nor for its guests.
Alexa offers critical support in the area of housekeeping, providing useful features for both facility staff and guests.
Alexa can eliminate the need to use sheets of paper to note rooms that have already been arranged and to make constant phone calls between staff on the floors and the front desk.
With simple phrases such as. “Alexa, the room is clean.” o “Alexa, the room is ready” staff can update room status in real time and inform their colleagues.
At the front desk, they will then be able to view live room status, speeding up the assignment of rooms to new guests.
Room status notification
The facility staff can tell Alexa when the room has been cleaned and subsequently when it has been checked by the housekeeping manager. No need to tell Alexa the room number, Alexa knows where it is! Thus, communication errors and misunderstandings are avoided, and live status of each room is reported in the NAVOO control panel.
Linking with PMS and other software or applications
NAVOO has already developed integration with various PMS and other software. This allows the room status to be automatically updated directly in the PMS, following the sentence spoken by the staff in the room. The reverse function has also been created for some PMSs: one can ask “Alexa, which rooms should I clean?” and the PMS will tell the voice assistant, thus helping to improve the productivity and efficiency of staff on the floors. For staff-dedicated features, Alexa also asks to speak a password (to prevent them from being used by guests).
Additional cleaning request
If the function is activated in the control panel, guests will be able to ask Alexa for additional room cleaning. Requests will be sent directly from Alexa to the various staff contacts interested in those requests (via SMS, e-mail, and with notifications on an Echo device).
Request for no cleanup
In contrast to the previous case, a guest may request that his or her room not be cleaned. For reasons of privacy, or a special concern for the environment, guests may wish to make such a request, which again will be delivered directly by Alexa to the facility staff.
Through the web control panel provided by NAVOO, staff have the ability to independently and fully manage the entire Alexa system. One can then monitor the number of interactions, respond promptly to requests, analyze the data, and thus optimize the guest experience in interacting with Alexa.
Creation and management
Each Echo device must be associated with a room or room in the facility. In the case of a hotel it is then possible to create all rooms in the control panel, or in the case of other accommodations (such as an apartment or a vacation home) one can create the various rooms in which Echo devices will be placed.
Breakdown into types
The various rooms in the control panel can belong to a type (standard, classic, deluxe, suite, family suite, …) thus being able to set information and features that are then valid for all rooms of the same type.
Specific skills
Skills (i.e., “apps” for Alexa) can be activated identically for all rooms, or even specifically for some specific rooms. An example is the case of the skill for using home automation, which may be usable only in certain suites.
Association
The user who administers the facility through the control panel can add Echo devices and associate them with the individual room. Each room can have multiple Echo devices associated with it, but these in turn can only be associated with one room.
Operations
In the control panel, it is possible to see which devices placed in the rooms are correctly online (and thus turned on and connected to Wi-Fi) and which are offline (disconnected from Wi-Fi or turned off).
Settings
Various settings such as language, units of measurement, default radio, maximum volume, and more can be constantly changed for each Echo device. Such settings can be made manually via the console, automated by the exchange of information with the PMS, or even verbally by the host or staff.
Reset at end of stay
At the end of the stay, the devices can be reset, to return to their initial state, ready to welcome a new guest. Resetting eliminates, for example, messages sent by staff to the room and not read by the guest and alarm clocks. Reset occurs simultaneously for all devices associated with the same chamber.
Resetting the Echo device can be done by voice, or by using the control panel or through interaction with the PMS.
Creation
The control panel administrator can independently add and manage the access of other users, for one or more facilities.
Roles and permits
Users created can be assigned specific roles, each with distinct editing potential and limitations.
Traceability of changes
All changes made to Alexa content and functionality, are tracked so that the administrator can trace the date and the user who authored those changes.
Through the control panel provided by NAVOO, guest and staff interactions with Alexa can be monitored, resulting in a clear and immediate overview of how and how much the voice assistant is being used.
Quantity
Every interaction is a dialogue between a person and Alexa. The number of interactions can be filtered and grouped by date, view the days during which usage was greatest, and which rooms create the most interactions.
Types
You can also view the type of requests made to Alexa, either by category or by delving into the specifics to the individual piece of information requested. Thus, one finds out what information guests need and what features they use most.
Guests and staff
The system makes explicit what and how many interactions were made by guests and staff, thus also being able to assess the positive impact on the daily operation and management of the facility.
PMS, software and app
The Alexa Smart Properties system provided by NAVOO is already integrated with some of the leading PMSs, software and apps used by staff and hosts of hospitality facilities.
It is also possible to request NAVOO to connect with systems that have not yet been integrated. Note: it is not mandatory to connect Alexa to a PMS.
Home Automation
“Alexa, turn off all the lights”, “Alexa, I’m hot”, and many other requests that guests are used to making at home, can also be used in a hotel or B&B room. Whether home automation can be controlled by voice depends on the provider of the home automation system.
Televisions
“Alexa, turn on the TV”, “Alexa, turn down the volume of the TV”, and various other requests, you can make to Alexa without having to search for the remote control. Whether such controls can be used depends on the model of TV set installed in the room.
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