Alexa, Order Room Service
Voice User Interface: Will smart speakers be commonplace in the hotel room of tomorrow?
We’ve had many assignments so far this year but none grabbed my attention quite like this. We were tasked to create a skill for the Amazon Alexa in the hospitality or travel industry. Having worked for the past two years in luxury hospitality I knew exactly where to start. I saw first hand the opulence that high end in room dining can be but always wondered what the future would hold. Although the skill I created serves merely as a proof of concept it opens up a great discussion about the future of voice user interfaces (VUIs) in hotels. In this article I want to discuss what my created Alexa skill does, the current digital service design operations of the hotel experience both VUIs and other forms, as well as what I believe are the limiting factors of such technology becoming widely adopted.
What I Made
For this assignment I created a very simple skill that would allow hotel guests to order in room dining. To gain an understanding of what such a tool would require I spoke with Amanda Cuomo, current Food and Beverage Supervisor at The Joseph hotel in Nashville. Utilizing the actual hotel menu voice prompts were created that matched the standard operating procedures currently used by hotel staff. This cross interaction content strategy is essential in creating a seamless experience for guests. A fun exercise in itself, this process has created more questions than it answered about the future of VUIs in hotels. Although the hospitality industry contains infinite points of human interaction, I want to focus specifically on the in room dining process. The level of complexity, user options, and speech nuances involved during this process serve as a great litmus test for the usability vs novelty of VUIs and the butler of tomorrow.
What’s Out There Now
I continued my conversation with Cuomo to understand what technology The Joseph utilizes today. She informed me that each room is outfitted with an Ipad. Guests can use the device to get hotel information, book spa appointments, and order in room dining. Cuomo said that guests are excited to try out these devices and see them as a value add for the hotel itself. To order in room dining guests navigate the touch screens to complete their orders. Hotel staff then receive these orders on a central computer dashboard. From an operations standpoint, says Cuomo, the idea of such a tool is wonderful. Removing a staff member from the phone line frees up labor to complete other tasks. Guests however are frequently called back to tidy up any order related issues. If a guest forgets to put their desired steak temperature for example, Cuomo and her staff must call the guest and confirm this detail. Guests regularly call immediately after placing their orders to ensure that it went through as they selected on the Ipad. These calls therefore defeat the purpose of having an automated ordering service. Cuomo fears that the limitations currently presented through their Ipad ordering system would still exist using a VUI. Although ordering food through a VUI would be a fun novelty for guests, it is hard to imagine such a service overcoming these above mentioned issues with current digital conversation abilities.
The Future
Before fantasizing about the future of such service design trends we must look at the current usage of digital tools within the hotel experience. The majority of hotels across America currently lack more than a phone and television, yet this may be changing. In 2018 Marriott International announced that they would be rolling out Amazon Alexas into select locations across their many brands. These devices are to be equipped with Alexa for Hospitality, the newest niche service from the current lead in VUI devices. It is unknown however how many hotels currently have such devices in each room. The service allows guests to ask questions about the hotel, book spa appointments, and even order room service. According to a 2018 TechCrunch article, guests can also use their voice to control things like smart light bulbs and window shades in their room. Although this announcement showed a definite interest from one of the world’s largest hospitality companies in VUIs, such technology has not yet become widespread.
Right Solution, Wrong Problem
I want to take a step back for a moment and discuss why I believe VUIs may not be the answer for all hotel needs. Even a wide eyed service design student like myself acknowledges that a daft hand is needed when implementing these new technologies. Looking back to my time spent working in room dining I too fantasized about a time when all orders were done with voice. Year after year the hotel received awards for being one of the most luxurious properties in the world, yet from a technological standpoint the rooms were no different than a Motel 6. All services from restaurant reservations to in room dining orders were done over the phone. I was dumbfounded that guests staying in a hotel which routinely charged $4,000 a night had a relatively similar experience as if it was 1986. I spent hours talking with coworkers about all the cool and innovative ways we could add digital service design systems to “make people’s stays better.” As my design education has increased though I have come to realize that just because you can design a cool new way of doing something does not mean you should. The hotel discussed here has stayed their course and has remained one of the premiere vacation experiences in the world. If such an institution wanted to run all their operations through VUIs they undoubtedly could, yet don’t.
With any design solution the first question must be, what problem does this solve? From my experience working in room dining, rarely were guests upset that they had to call. Many regulars enjoyed this process and revelled in the chance to conversate with someone. Some services I will say would be perfectly fine to embrace a VUI. Simple requests like an extra pillow would be more than manageable using an Alexa skill. The issue comes however when complexity and customization are presented. Before working on this assignment I was incredibly excited. I wanted to build a skill to perfection and present it to management at The Joseph. After creating the skill and speaking with Cuomo however, I don’t believe such a skill currently solves any more problems than it creates. It’s inevitable that smart devices will become more and more common in the hospitality space. I just hope that for the sake of guests and staff alike future hospitality VUIs are not created simply because they can but because they will be useful, usable, and compelling.
