Tech Travel Trends

Today we will go over some trends that are emerging in the travel sector or are already out there but are gaining popularity. As you may now, technology is taking over the world, including everything related to tourism, there are some new trends that tourism professionals and tourists are using to benefit from such as Virtual Reality, Smart Apps, Concierge robots, smart luggage, smart hotel rooms, facial recognition, Augmented Reality, Online bookings and many more!

Let’s begging with some trends that are becoming popular among travelers.

Nowadays, travelers feel more comfortable by doing the booking procedure by themselves, from planning the whole according to their preferences to actually booking the tickets or travel products they will need. For this, tourists are using websites and apps. Some websites such as Expedia.com, Travelocity.com and so on. On the other side, there are smart travel apps which provide a customized service to the users, these apps use Artificial Intelligence to differentiate them from regular booking apps. à

Have you heard about Hopper?

Hopper is an app specialized in finding the best deals for flights, send alerts for lower prices and similar itineraries. The attractive of this app is that it uses machine learning to analyze the data and give price predictions to the clientele. It will advise travelers to book at the moment when they make the search or it will advise them to wait because according to the statistics it might drop.

This is just an example of how Artificial Intelligence is an useful tool for travel providers and travelers.

What about FLIO?

This is an app for travelers who have a layover at unknown airports, which is very common when you are taking long flights. The app will ‘learn’ about the airport the user will land to and will provide relevant information about the terminal such as where to eat, where are the lounges located and more.

Let’s talk about one of the most promising tech travel trend: Virtual Reality.

Virtual Reality along with Augmented Reality have been one of the most entertaining uses that we have given to technology. Travel experts have found the way to include this attractive and entertaining tool into the travel sector. They have created apps and websites where travelers can find several destinations around the world and virtually travel to the virtual surroundings of tourist spots, hotels, attraction and more by just watching VR videos. These videos give the opportunity to the travelers to have a similar feeling of how they potential future travel destination looks like and see it from a different perspective, close to reality. Augmented reality has basically the same objective as VR however it is an augmented picture which shows more details of what a tourist spot looks like.

For travel agents, VR and AR became useful sales tools. In order to close sales, agents will show VR videos to the clients so they can convince themselves that they actually like the place they’re travelling to and convince them to go.

Not only travel agents are using VR but also Airlines and travel providers use it for marketing purposes and to enhance travel experiences. Airlines will show cabins in advance to increase ticket sales, as an example.

Watch this quick and interesting video about how companies and using Virtual Reality to enhance the travel and booking experience.

Thanks for reading!

AI: hotels of the world

On the last post you were able to learn a bit more about how exactly AI is changing the tourism industry. Today I want to share with you interesting facts about how AI is being used at hotels around the world.

The Artificial Intelligence is a great tool to increase customer satisfaction and guest loyalty levels. It can be helpful to the hospitality industry in many different ways; AI could be used to provide a personalized service to the guests and therefore create unique experiences and build loyalty. How? Artificial Intelligence can identify personal preferences of the clientele in order to provide personalized experiences and attract people to your hotel.

One of the most popular ways to use AI to help the hospitality business is by simplifying the booking process and consequent staff optimization. Many hotels are using chatbots on their website to make the process more user friendly and satisfactory. The chatbots are programs designed to simulate conversations with real users. This chatbots assist the client on the booking process by answering hotel-related questions, inquiries about the property and even to take special requests from the clientele. By applying this strategy, the hotel will provide a customized and pleasant booking experience for the guests and will also increase their expectations towards the service expected at destination.

Also, AI is an useful tool to manage and control feedback from the clientele. Artificial Intelligence can help hoteliers by quickly going over the comments, reviews and social media posts mentioning an establishment and analyzing the data obtained to provide an overview about what is being said about a hotel allowing the manager to respond efficiently and accurately.

Now, have you heard about concierge robots?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WquIaGuf19w

It is becoming a trend in the hospitality industry to incorporate robots as concierges to increase the customer satisfaction levels. These robots will definitely change the travel experience in all senses. A concierge robot is basically there for the clientele to assist on whatever they need and want. The guests will be welcomed at the property and guided to the front desk by a robot, it will offer its assistance at any time for the customers. Some of the tasks that a concierge robot is able to do is to find attractions, activities, excursions and entertainment in general for specific clients according to their preferences. They will also make recommendations of restaurants, shows and more according to what they have learned about specific guests. If a guest is looking for a restaurant for a romantic evening he or she can easily text the concierge robot to get suggestions, if a guest wants to order food they just need to contact the concierge and it will get done, if guests encountered an issue or have any complaints, the concierge will be able to assist. Now, if there is something that a concierge robot can not do, it will get someone who can get it done.

Here are a couple of examples of concierge robots:

Hilton Hotels: Connie

Connie is one of the first and most popular concierge robots created. She is able to inform guests about places of interest, give dining recommendations and general information about the hotel.

Aloft Hotels: A.L.O.

A.L.O. was originally created to make deliveries throughout the hotel. However, it is now used to provide information to the clientele and answer guest inquiries whenever it is required.

Isn’t it fantastic the way technology is influencing the tourism industry? While some people fear the power of technology, the tourism professionals are using it for the benefit of the tourism and travel industry. They are creating an applying new trends and new tools that increases the customer satisfaction levels and most importantly, help create wonderful and unforgettable experiences.

Thanks for reading!

How AI is changing the Tourism Industry

Have you ever wondered how technology will modify our current travel habits? or the way we travel itself! have you already noticed all the changes that Artificial Intelligence is causing in the tourism industry?

The constant innovations and advances in technology is definitely changing the world that surrounds us, it changes from the way we have breakfast every morning to the way we communicate with others. The tourism industry is not an exception, big changes are being done day by day to keep up with the newest trends that technology brings nowadays.

It is the beginning of a new era of innovations and amazing things to come, and we are very lucky to witness it.

One of the biggest changes that AI brought to the tourism industry is the way travelers book their trips. Decades ago people had to use travel agents services to book their flights, hotels or cruises, and the travel agent had to call the suppliers to get information about the product and then proceed to book it. Nowadays, technology has made it way easier! With the use of chat bots we do not necessarily need to contact a travel specialist to book a flight or a vacation package. We have access to all those products, just one click away! There are several booking and reservation systems that enables online travel agencies to promote products on the internet by learning the tastes, needs and wants of the clientele. Clients can access one of those websites and book the flight they need in matter of minutes! Going from manual bookings to automated booking systems made a big difference, however that’s not all. The customer service level has even been influenced by Artificial Intelligence providing services such as online live chats to assist the clients on booking travel products. There are also travel applications that assist people to plan their trips according to what the app learns from their travel preferences.

The immersion of Artificial Intelligence in the tourism industry and the consecutive creation of online travel agencies doesn’t actually mean that the days of travel agents are gone. It is now a challenge for travel specialist to keep on selling and promoting their products. They are using AI as well! Marketing and promotion specialist came up with the idea of using Virtual Reality to show new destinations to potential clients and help them decide where to go for their next vacations.

Leaders in the tourism industry are actively thinking of applying Artificial Intelligence to the whole process of traveling, not only the booking procedure. For example, there are hotels that are using robots as front desk, check-in and check-out agents to maximize efficiency and decrease staff expenses. It is certainly an attractive and impressive experience for the travelers. Using the same idea, many restaurants and bars around the world are also using Artificial Intelligence to “change the game” and attract more clients; they are using robots as waiters and bartenders, imagine being served by a robot? Isn’t it awesome?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifgf6bZhxiE

The truth is that sooner than expected we will see robots as tour guides and self-piloted airplanes changing the tourism industry for good.