Hilton has deployed an IBM Watson-enabled robot to provide concierge services to guests. Connie draws domain knowledge from Watson and WayBlazer to inform guests about hotel features, amenities, local tourist attractions and recommends dining places.
Connie will work with Hilton’s team members and will assist them with visitor requests, personalise guest experiences and empower them with more information to help them plan their trips.
At present, Connie is at the reception of the Hilton McLean in Virginia on a pilot basis. It is learning to interact with guests and to respond to their questions in a friendly and informative manner.
Connie uses a combination of technologies to communicate with people. These include Watson APIs such as Dialog, Speech to Text, Text to Speech and Natural Language Classifier.
With these technologies, it greets guests upon arrival and replies to questions about hotel amenities, services and hours of operation.
By tapping into WayBlazer’s travel domain knowledge powered by Watson, Connie can suggest tourists about local tourist attractions outside the hotel.
As it interacts with more and more guests, Connie will learn more, adapt better and improve its recommendations.
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Connie and guests’ interactions will also be recorded and accessed by Hilton’s staff to improve its responses.
Hilton Worldwide, product innovation and brand services, vice president, Jonathan Wilson said: "We’re focused on reimagining the entire travel experience to make it smarter, easier and more enjoyable for guests."
"By tapping into innovative partners like IBM Watson, we’re wowing our guests in the most unpredictable ways."
IBM fellow and vice president and IBM Watson chief technology officer, Rob High said: "This project with Hilton and WayBlazer represents an important shift in human-machine interaction, enabled by the embodiment of Watson’s cognitive computing."
"Watson helps Connie understand and respond naturally to the needs and interests of Hilton’s guests — which is an experience that’s particularly powerful in a hospitality setting, where it can lead to deeper guest engagement."
WayBlazer, CEO, Felix Laboy said: "WayBlazer is excited to bring Watson’s cognitive computing capabilities directly to the traveler as a way to improve the in-destination experience."
"We believe providing personalised and relevant insights and recommendations, specifically through a new form factor such as a robot, can transform brand engagement and loyalty at the Hilton."
