Texting and messaging are quickly working into hotel operations as further evidenced by Edwardian Hotels London launch a new ‘virtual host’ service to its hotel guests, ‘Edward,’ designed to deliver experiences for guests who prefer digital brand interaction.
Available at 12 Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotels, including Heathrow and the Vanderbilt in South Kensington in London, the new Interactive Text Response (ITR) mobile SMS service allows guests to check and request hotel amenities such as towels or room service, get information about local bars and restaurants and even express complaints – simply by sending a text message. ‘Edward’ will respond within a few seconds.
The hotel’s chatbot is a new service and part of a wider project to digitally transform the way that Edwardian Hotels London engages with guests across every touch point.
Edward works by using automated and intelligent text-based interaction, via a self-service interface that is accessible 24/7. Guests can use the service to message their requests and get immediate responses. The natural language understanding (NLU) interface enables guests to use natural, conversational language rather than remembering cryptic commands, though the application is backed up with live assistance when needed. Complaints or requests that need a follow-up by hotel staff can therefore be immediately addressed. Guests can even ask explicitly for an immediate callback should a human touch be desired.
The program has been designed to cohesively join existing in-house developed software systems to ensure a seamless response to queries. This will permit a swift response time for users.
“Edwardian Hotels London places a high value on our brand and it is imperative that we evolve our guest experiences to meet growing consumer demand for more digital interaction,” said Michael Mrini, Edwardian’s director of IT. “The hotel’s recent rebranding is indicative of this initiative, and Edward is a fun and personalized way for our guests to enhance their experience and engage with us.”