Volara is the expert in voice-automated hotel guest engagement.
Volara hotel guest engagement is THE provider of custom voice-based solutions to the hospitality industry. Our proprietary software creates a hotel business tool atop the leading hardware and natural language processing platforms. Our proven best practices ensure high utilization rates and an optimal guest experience – ensuring your guests’ engagement is personal and remarkable. This voice controlled speaker enables you to serve your guests more efficiently and subtly influence their behavior while leaving them with a warm feeling toward your brand. We offer our hospitality industry partners a full-service solution. You can rely on our expertise to provide a truly seamless and extraordinary guest experience!
- Customized Software
- Tailored Collateral
- Analytics & Data
- Branded Software
- Set Up & Support
- Administrative Tools
With Alexa for Hospitality, Marriott adds Amazon to the guest experience
Nearly seven months after announcing Alexa for Business, Amazon has launched Alexa for Hospitality, a new program that provides hoteliers with an Amazon Echo to act as a voice-activated virtual concierge in each room.
“Alexa for Hospitality is a set of tools that will let hotels build immersive experiences with Alexa right into the hotel context, the brand context and the guest stay,” said Amazon VP Daniel Rausch at a New York preview of the program’s functionality. The platform offers integrations with back-office systems, housekeeping, the concierge and front desk—all services that hotels are already offering, he said—and making them accessible through voice interaction.
Over the last few months, Amazon quietly installed Alexa devices in a few hotels like the Wynn Las Vegas as part of a pilot program to gauge guest feedback, said Rausch. “It’s given us some data to know that we should lean in even more and double-down,” he said. According to Rausch, almost 90 percent of customers that have used an in-room Alexa rated it between “good” and “excellent” on feedback surveys, and more than 70 percent of guests said that when booking hotels in the future, they would choose Alexa-enabled rooms if they were available. The guest feedback was then used to develop the hospitality-specific program for a broader scale, and the updated platform is ready to roll out.
Volara and Amazon Alexa’s collaboration
According to a recent article on hospitalitytech.com, during the keynote address at AWS re:Invent, a learning conference hosted by Amazon Web Services for the global cloud computing community, Amazon’s Chief Technology Officer Werner Vogels examined the potential of Amazon Alexa in the enterprise and highlighted the measurable business impact that Volara’s Voice Hub for the Hospitality Industry is already having at hotels across the country.
Volara has been collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) over the past year to deploy and manage Amazon Echo Dot devices in hotels across the country. The devices leverage the just announced Alexa for Business and run Volara’s software – which enables local management of the voice-based interactions engaging guests and seamlessly integrates those interactions into the leading technologies operating in hotels today.
Case Study – Thompson Hotels
“Guests of Thompson Hotels are extremely tech savvy, and many of them have Alexa in their own homes. At Thompson Seattle we strive to provide a seamless technology experience for our guests when they travel and we are fortunate to be able to partner with a local company like Amazon. In addition to helping our guests be more efficient by using Volara-powered voice commands for concierge services and in-room controls, we are also enabling our guest services team to be more efficient,” noted Amanda Parsons, General Manager of Thompson Hotel Seattle. “Guests may now get quick answers to many of their questions – from the hotel’s WiFi password to the hours of our restaurant and rooftop bar – without having to pick up the phone, dial and wait for a response. In the meantime, our staff spends less time on the phone and more time with our guests, focused on personalizing and enhancing their stays.”
Case Study – Alexis Hotel
“Our experience at the Alexis hotel has been consistent with what Amazon’s CTO Werner Vogels described in his speech,” said Jenn Gile, Assistant General Manager of the Alexis Hotel by Kimpton in Seattle, Washington. “The staff time saved by the Volara-powered Amazon Echo Dot devices at the Alexis – which adds up to over 40 hours each month – has enabled our professional team to focus on higher value engagement with our guests – i.e, those interactions that require a distinctly human touch.”
Volara – in collaboration with AWS – has put hotel services conveniently in front more than 400,000 guests. Volara is deployed today at hotels across the United States, including those under all of the major flags.
The Westin Buffalo becomes first New York State hotel to install Amazon Echo devices in each of its guest rooms
Global hospitality company Delaware North today announced the installation of Amazon Echo devices in each of the 116 guest rooms at the company-operated Westin Buffalo hotel.
The Westin Buffalo, a luxury lifestyle hotel located within Delaware North’s global headquarters in Buffalo, N.Y., is the first hotel in New York State to deploy the guest-servicing Echo devices in each of its guest rooms, and just the 12th hotel in the United States to do so. The devices are managed by software developed by Volara, the leading provider of custom voice-based solutions to the hospitality industry.
The Amazon Echo devices provide an easy, fun way for guests to request services, get recommendations, and generally engage with hotel staff and services without the hassle of picking up a telephone. Guests at The Westin Buffalo will be able to ask “Alexa” questions typically asked of a hotel concierge, valet, housekeeper or bellman. The interactions are integrated with existing hotel software and immediately communicated to staff.
The Amazon Echo devices will also operate in tandem with “Chip,” the hotel’s fully-autonomous Relay Robot Butler, who works with hotel staff to deliver amenities and room service to guest rooms.
PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS
CUSTOMIZED SOFTWARE
Volara’s proprietary voice-based guest engagement software customized to your property. Work with our team to create custom responses to guest questions. Populate information about your hotel, recommendations and more. Create custom answers & information with recommendations and local information. Your Administrative Portal allows you to fully-manage the Volara software, enabling you to change answers in real-time. Write and record answers that reflect your property and its unique personality. Your staff can easily adjust the responses in real-time. Voice becomes an extension of your brand. Plus, it works with any natural language processing hardware and 
enables a consistent guest experience across a portfolio of different properties, each with unique requirements with respect to language, entertainment, and price.
BRANDED HARDWARE
Let KniTec help you choose the hardware that’s right for your property’s aesthetic, budget, and specific needs. Volara offers custom wraps to fit your existing decor. This sleek modern hardware fits seamlessly into any hotel room. Specially designed wraps will turn a functional device into a beautiful piece of art that is aesthetically consistent with your rooms. Volara has advance access to new hardware from the leading providers in bulk with short lead times. Brackets are available to supplement the devices. Potential for wall, ceiling and table mounts.
SETUP & SUPPORT
From the pre-launch phase through to solution optimization, we are right there with you. We ensure each device is connected and placed in accordance with best practices to ensure uptime, increase utilization, and deter misuse and loss. While our devices are easy-to-set up, we’ll never make you go it alone. Our technical team – in collaboration with your staff – will handle delivery, device placement in each guest room and connection to your management portal through the hotel’s wireless internet. No hard wiring is required. Regular improvements from the cloud ensure your software is always up-to-date as the technology evolves. Our team of experts will provide your staff training and resources to fully manage the deployment, but ongoing support is always available to address any questions.
TAILORED COLLATERAL
We work with you to create all the assets that you need to support your new Voice Engagement Solution. From front-desk hand outs to in-room collateral, we create beautiful, unobtrusive materials that incorporate proven best practices and make your brand shine. Choose the collateral options that make sense for your property – from rack cards and business cards to table tents and brochures. The beautiful design will make you want to showcase Volara. Plus, it is made with high quality materials, the finest paper and printing processes, all come together to exceed your brand standards.
ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS
Your software is in your hands with the admin panel we provide. Your staff can easily adjust the software responses in real-time to account for changes in your information (like special events) or update daily deals. Your The sekf managing Admin Panel allows you to fully-manage the Volara software, enabling you to change answers in real-time. Create staff accounts with special permissions to allow editing of specific answers within the Volara app. The Interaction Log allows you to monitor every interaction in real time, so you know what your guests are saying and can meet there every need.
ANALYTICS & DATA
Volara is a business tool that helps you better understand, engage and serve your guests. With additional insight about their interests, demands and changing needs you’ll have the data you need to make guest services decisions that will create loyalty and differentiate your property. We give you the most relevant metrics at a glance – actionable insights that allow your management team to make better decisions. Create custom reports for your departments that will help them better prepare for and meet guest demands. See how the questions being asked on your property compare to those being asked on properties across the globe.
