sooner, with less waiting and frustration.
A guest’ s experience is shaped by dozens of small handoffs. When information reaches the right person at the right time, service feels easy and personal. At a luxury hotel, even a small missed detail can change the experience.
HOTELS: You have said technology has to earn a place on a hotel employee’ s uniform. What must it get right? Chuang: Hotel employees don’ t need another tool to carry around or another system to learn during a busy shift. Technology has to earn its place on their uniform by being reliable, easy to use, and making their job easier.
That thinking shaped how we built Relay. Hotel teams already rely on voice to communicate, so we started with a simple push-to-talk experience, then added transcription, real-time translation, a panic solution, and Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity.
The goal is to give employees what they need without drawing attention away from the guest. They shouldn’ t have to stop, look
Relay technology provides a cloud-connected, voice-driven safety and communication platform for hotel staff.
down at a screen, and navigate an app just to get help or reach someone else on the property.
HOTELS: AI can process enormous amounts of information. What do hotel employees understand that technology alone cannot? Chuang: Hotel employees understand not just what a guest has asked for before, but what they may need today. A returning guest might usually enjoy a conversation at checkin. But if they arrive exhausted after a long flight, an experienced employee can recognize that, keep the welcome brief, and help them get settled without making them ask.
That takes empathy and judgment. In luxury hospitality, going above and beyond isn’ t always about doing more. It’ s paying attention to the person in front of you and knowing what would make their stay easier.
AI can help teams make sense of information and spot patterns, but it doesn’ t replace that human understanding. The goal is to give employees better information so they can do what they do best: take care of the guest.
HOTELS: What does it cost a hotel when employees have to work around their tools? Chuang: Every time a housekeeper has to leave the floor to track down maintenance, a supervisor has to find someone who can translate, or a manager has to figure out what happened on the previous shift, that’ s time and attention being pulled away from the guest.
Resourceful teams find workarounds, but those can hide problems from leadership. Eventually, they surface as longer room turnaround times, slower guest responses, or employee burnout.
Guests may never know what went wrong. They just feel the experience wasn’ t as smooth as it should have been.
HOTELS: Crystal ball: What will separate the best-run hotels by 2030? Chuang: The best hotels won’ t be the ones with the most guest-facing apps. They’ ll be the ones where every employee, regardless of language, department, or location, has what they need to deliver a great guest experience the first time.
What one shift learns will help the next. Recurring issues will be identified and addressed before guests notice them. Leaders will have a clearer picture of what is happening across the property without constantly pulling employees away from their work.
Guests shouldn’ t need to know what’ s happening behind the scenes. They should feel the team is there when needed, everything runs smoothly, and the hotel is ready from the moment they arrive.
Chris Chuang, co-founder and CEO, Relay
Oct / Nov 2026 hotelsmag. com 61