Village Launches UK Hotel Customer Service First with Virtual Assistant Amazon Alexa

Hotel brand Village is taking the multi-channel customer experience to the next level by rolling out virtual assistant Amazon Alexa in all of its 28 UK hotels, with the help of creative agency Equator.

Village, which strives to be the most innovative hotel brand in the UK, is the very first in the country to install the Amazon Echo Dot in its guest rooms.

The devices are currently being piloted in two flagship sites - the newest Village hotel in Glasgow and in Warrington, where the company’s headquarters are located. The plan is to roll out the virtual concierge to all sites by the end of 2017.

The Amazon Echo Dot has been customised by Equator’s Innovation team to allow guests to ‘Ask Village’. The virtual assistant will answer questions and perform tasks to enhance the customer experience. Examples include sharing restaurant, pool, gym and spa opening times, things to do in the local area, checkout times and delivering wakeup calls.

Simple instructions on the device inform guests not to ask the virtual concierge about next week’s winning lottery numbers, if Donald Trump’s hair is real, if their bum looks big or to explain infinity. There are some things we just aren’t meant to know.

Martin Jordan, Director of Innovation at Equator, said: “Equipping its hotels with Alexa is a huge innovation for Village and the UK hotel industry in its entirety, but we have a whole lot more up our sleeve for the future.” 

In May, Equator also installed Village’s first ‘totem screen’ at the Warrington site. These 70-inch customisable, interactive digital screens will be installed in all Village hotel lobbies by in the next few months, sharing time-relevant content personalised to each site. Customers will be able to find out about different offers and events taking place at the hotel as well as useful information including gym class times and the weather.

The technology is being developed by Equator in advance of Village launching its 29th hotel in Portsmouth this year which will be its most hi-tech yet, integrating this technology with every aspect of the room experience from entertainment to air conditioning.

Rob Paterson, Commercial Director at Village Hotels, said: “As technology continues to evolve, customers expect a consistently seamless service. That’s why we have chosen to invest significantly in giving guests a truly multi-channel experience where they have access to all the services and information they require, right at their fingertips.

“We’ve worked closely with Equator to create that experience, first with our intuitive website that makes booking a simple and speedy process for customers, and now with the roll out of the Amazon Echo Dot and interactive screens. The response to these exciting additions has been overwhelmingly positive – we’re looking forward to implementing the devices within all Village hotels and opening our most hi-tech site yet in Portsmouth later this year.”

Since it was established in 1999, Equator has been at the forefront of digital technology and transformational thinking. The company’s 170 experts create connected experiences that grow brands and improve lives.