Chatbots are coming to Booking.com and Expedia and we are sure more OTAs will follow.
So what is a chatbot? According to the Guardian, “Chat bots are computer programs that mimic conversation with people using artificial intelligence. They can transform the way you interact with the internet from a series of self-initiated tasks to a quasi-conversation.”
Expedia’s bot is designed for Facebook to help travellers book hotels.
Booking.com is looking to provide a service that will help people decide what to do once they arrive at their destination apart from chatbots.
Kayak, Skyscanner and Cheapflights have introduced their own bots recently.
Are they here to stay? Will it give one OTA an advantage over the other? And what does it mean for hotels and how can hotels leverage these technology innovations from their OTA partners?
We need to watch this space for a bit longer….and in the meantime, if you seek real life robots for your hotel, reach out to a robot called Relay – “Just as his name suggests, our robot autonomously relays items between people. His first application is in the hospitality industry, relaying items from staff to guests.”