“Alexa, read me a blog post”
Part 1 of 2
You know what smart speakers are, right? They’re marketed as voice-enabled “personal assistants”: IoT devices that live amongst your family, at the ready to tell you a joke, give you the news, play Italian music at your next dinner party. Even give you an easy eggplant parm recipe. The most popular brands are Google Home, Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana and Samsung’s Viv.
One in six Americans now own one of these “smart speakers”. Ownership has increased 128% IN ONE YEAR! This according to NPR and Edison Research. More eye-popping figures from the same research: as of winter 2017, an estimated 39 million Americans (16% of the population over 18) own smart speakers. Think of it!
And because they’re in homes, you know they’re already finding a place in the hotel market too. Yep. They’re at the ready to respond to your commands at a growing number of hotels across the country. They help create an “experiential environment” for hotel guests. They perform services WAY beyond telling you jokes.
Like what, you ask? Take a look at this list. Every day it gets more creative.
Fetch Me a Spritzer
- “Change the temperature to 68 degrees.”
- “Turn on the TV to ESPN.”
- “Give me a wakeup call at 6 am”
- “Bring me extra towels.”
- “Dim the lights.”
- “Open the drapes. And close the sheers.”
- “What is the local weather tonight?”
- “Turn on the coffee maker.”
- “What’s going on in this fair city tomorrow?”
- “Order room service.”
- “Do not disturb us!”
- “What time does the hockey game start?”
- “Get me a reservation for the hottest restaurant in town.”
- “Book a massage in the spa. For two!”
- “Where is the pool?”
- “How late is the hotel restaurant open?”
- “Play me some country music.”
- “My window won’t open. Send someone up.”
- “I want to check out now.”
- …and for the unimaginative, “What time is it?”
The creativity and potential is expanding like a ripple effect. The types of commands start out close to the source, like the first ring around the pebble in a lake: the in-room controls. Temperature, lighting, TV, drapes, coffee pot. Everything within the guest room.
The commands then reach a bit further than an individual room, to the whole hotel: restaurant, housekeeping, maintenance.
And beyond that, voice commands can reach your neighborhood, your city, even your nation-wide brand.
We see the potential for far-reaching integrations.
In our next blog post, read about branding your smart speakers, planning your project rollout and guest reaction.
Until then, talk to Telkonet about using voice controls to delight your guest while still saving energy. Call 888-703-9398 or email Telkonet at [email protected]!
