4 Ways AI is Changing Travel in 2022
Helping Travelers During the Trip-planning Phase
The first way automation can lend a hand during the trip planning process is through tailored recommendations. Today’s travelers, like anyone else today, have an abundance of information being pushed at them on any given day. This can lead to overwhelm and is a main reason why more and more consumers prefer personalization.
The good news is that, with AI, personalization has never been easier. Guest preferences can be used to make recommendations, whether on booking sites, individual hotel websites or even through tailored ads on third-party platforms. This will make the process easier for travelers, and will help hotels make sure their guests have all the right options.
AI also has the potential to streamline the booking process, playing the role of a virtual booking agent. Customers need to book a room and hotels need to make sure they optimize the number of occupied rooms. A.I. can help with this, analyzing past patterns and current trends, to “decide” which rooms to offer to guests. As we’ve seen working with our clients, this is a win-win for everyone involved. It makes the booking process easier for guests and maximizes revenue for hotels.
2. Harnessing Data for Maximum Efficiency
Data is king right now, but it’s important to use it correctly. There are so many types of datasets when you’re running a hotel that it would be virtually impossible for a human staff member to interpret them all. That’s where AI comes in, analyzing data and recognizing patterns to inform business decisions at your hotel.
The possibilities for data are endless. Creating detailed guest profiles from every interaction they have with your hotel can draw conclusions that help you provide better service. Analysis of promotional efforts and resulting bookings can help your marketing team better develop strategies to attract guests. Perhaps the most useful data applications are in revenue management, giving hotels the ability to analyze historical occupancy rates alongside current bookings, as well as long-term trends.
3. Sentiment Analysis for Reputation Management
What if your hotel could identify unhappy guests before they say a word to your staff?
Sentiment analysis allows you to find these guests and intervene - an opportunity to turn a frustrated customer (and potential negative review) into a loyal, repeat guest. By alerting staff to possible negative sentiments in written communication, like an email or SMS, they’ll be able to reach out to the guest preemptively. They can then either try and address the issue, or offer a consolation - for example, a breakfast voucher. This small effort can go a long way towards regaining trust and boosting satisfaction, and in doing so, creating customer loyalty. It is also likely to improve online reviews.
Sentiment Analysis doesn’t just serve to identify disgruntled guests. It can also point out satisfied guests, so that you can give them incentives to leave a positive review sharing their experiences. With AI, you can even do this automatically, resulting in an improved online presence with zero additional workload.
4. Automated Customer Service
One of AI’s most important roles, especially in terms of Ameniti’s services, is enabling automated customer communication.
With guests demanding instant gratification, and service on their preferred channels, an all-channel automated approach is best for meeting customer needs. It makes service both instantaneous and accessible.
AI is the best way to optimize this type of service - and as pioneers of automated communication, we know this firsthand. It automatically recognizes customer intent and identifies the best response to every question. Machine learning uses historical data from all past interactions to improve itself, and increases its own performance over time. For customers that want instant service - and nearly all of them do - AI is the way to provide it.
Automation provides endless possibilities, and can be tailored to your hotel’s specific needs. Ameniti offers everything - from automatically granting paid early check-in to delivering post-stay notifications. Let us know if you’d like to learn more about other automation options.