When voice technology powered by straightforward collaboration can put a smile on hotel guests’ faces

When hotel staff have more time in their day, they share more smiles with guests, and go above and beyond in service - resulting in better reviews, feedback and ultimately guest loyalty.  To achieve these outcomes, technology needs to be flexible, modular and easily managed by staff, so it can be updated in real-time, enabling new powerful integrations in a snap.  

If you’re wondering what Volara is, quite simply, we are the voice hub for the hotel industry.  We provide a fully integrated, conversation management system for hotels on Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and IBM Watson, among others coming soon.  Volara is the exclusive partner to Marriott International on all of its voice pilots, and we've also partnered with Two Roads Hospitality, which was recently acquired by Hyatt, for all of its voice integrated solutions.  

Volara was conceived as a software tool that would help hotel managers manage voice assistants to support guests more efficiently, while ensuring the privacy of guests and the protection of the hotel’s proprietary data.  For this reason, our very first integration three years ago was with Amadeus Service Optimization.  Today, benefitting from 30+ integrations with popular hotel technologies, Volara's value proposition is more expansive and includes driving new revenues, building loyalty and creating memorable guest experiences.  

Thanks to the integration between Volara and Amadeus Service Optimization, guests in their hotel rooms can simply ask out loud for anything they want - like a towel, razor or turndown service - and the request is routed through Amadeus Service Optimization directly to the mobile device being carried by the housekeeper on the same floor.  No picking up the phone.  No tapping on a screen.  Just speak.  

I got to experience this technology firsthand when I was at one of the hotel properties powered by Volara and Amadeus Service Optimization.  I’d forgotten my toothbrush.  (Who amongst us hasn’t done that?)  So I used the Volara-powered voice assistant in my room to request one from housekeeping.  No sooner had I made the request than the housekeeper was knocking on my door delivering my brand new toothbrush.  There’s nothing like seeing your product work in real-time to bring a smile to your face. 

With over 200 million smart speakers in homes today, more and more guests expect their hotels to provide a similar voice-enabled experience.  Today, 82% of weekend guests and 63% of weekday guests engage with their Volara-powered smart speaker.  What’s more - once they engage the first time, they love it and will use the device an average of eight times during their stay.  At properties that benefit from this technology, an average of 30% of all guest requests are now being processed by the voice assistant - eliminating the need for a staff member to answer the telephone or key in the request.  

Having worked with Amadeus for the last few years, I’ve seen firsthand how close our products and teams function.  It was actually by customer request that Volara’s relationship with Amadeus began.  And, as you know, the customer is always right!  And they really were in this case.  We could not be more thrilled by the collaborative teamwork we have with Amadeus.  There’s no red tape.  It’s just, “Here’s what needs to be done” and they do it.  It’s great working with like-minded people because Volara works in the exact same way.

As Volara continues to expand into hotels across the country, I look forward to our continued partnership with Amadeus and the unwavering support of its professionals.  We’re eager to expand, not just in hotels, but throughout the entire hospitality sector, and we’re confident that, with Amadeus’ help, we can do just that.