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Amazon Alexa checks in to Village in UK hotel industry first

Village Hotels is to deploy Amazon Alexa as virtual assistants in rooms across 28 UK hotels.

The chain claims to be the first in the country to install the Amazon Echo Dot in its guest rooms.

The devices are being piloted in two flagship sites – the newest Village hotel in Glasgow and in Warrington, where the company’s headquarters are located.

The company plans to introduce the virtual concierge to all properties by the end of the year.

The Amazon Echo Dot has been customised to allow guests to ‘Ask Village’ about restaurant, pool, gym and spa opening times, things to do in the local area, checkout times and delivering wake-up calls.

The chain is also installing 70-inch customisable, interactive digital screens in all hotel lobbies by in the next few months, sharing time-relevant content personalised to each site.

Guests will be able to find out about different offers and events taking place as well as information including gym class times and the weather.

The technology is being developed by creative agency Equator in advance of Village opening its 29th hi-tech hotel in Portsmouth this year.

Commercial director Rob Paterson 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.”

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