TEXTIN
ICYMI ,
SALES & MARKETING
Texting is such a widely accepted — even preferred — method of communicating that it only makes sense for hotels to engage guests via text messaging . Today , artificial intelligence-enabled applications are opening up more possibilities for text requests , easing demand on staff while providing more bespoke experiences . Hotels are leveraging those capabilities in different ways .
TALKING TO ROSE With more than 3,000 rooms , the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas has a lot of inventory and guests to manage . “ Rose ,” the property ’ s chatbot with an attitude , helps relieve the pressure . Rose made her debut in 2017 , and at this point nearly 100 % of the resort ’ s guests converse with her via text at least once during their stay .
The relationship starts even before check-in , when guests receive a text with their room assignment and an alert when the room is ready .
If the room isn ’ t ready for check-in , Rose beckons with various ways to pass the time . She instructs : “ text me ‘ art tours ’ or ‘ restaurants ,’” which in turn prompts a guided walk through some of the hotel ’ s 700-piece art collection or a preview of the F & B outlets , along with the skinny on secret menu items .
Rose isn ’ t just for overnight guests , either . “ A ton of people just walking through the property want to find out what they can do ,” and they can tap into Rose ’ s knowledge too , says Tom Evans , the Cosmopolitan ’ s chief marketing officer .
“ WE HAVE SEEN A DIRECT CORRELATION BETWEEN GUEST SATISFACTION LEVELS ... AND THE USE OF EDWARD .”
MICHAEL MRINI , DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY , EDWARDIAN HOTELS LONDON
Most of the guest texts involve typical questions about the resort ’ s amenities — restaurant hours , pool access and so forth . Another category is service-related — requests for extra towels or hangers , room service orders , wake-up calls or check-out . The most active texters , about a quarter of all guests , send five or more messages .
Rose was upgraded last year with an AI and natural language processing platform , which allows her to respond more quickly and better understand context and sentiment ; texts that go beyond her scope automatically get escalated to the hotel ’ s guest services team .
“ We want the guest to understand they are being transferred to a live person , but Rose does it in a way that ’ s very Cosmopolitan ,” Evans says . She might say , “ You got me on that one . Let me transfer you to one of my human friends .”
“ Las Vegas is a 24-hour town , and people have needs in the middle of the night . Being able to provide service to guests when they need it is critical ,” Evans adds .
It ’ s also good for the bottom line : Guests using Rose tend to spend more at the hotel — about 28 % more .
ASK EDWARD Edwardian Hotels London ’ s chatbot came about after the group started
58 hotelsmag . com November / December 2019