MENLO PARK, CA—The days when interaction with the guest began with check-in and ended at checkout are no longer. Today, most hoteliers know that the pre-stay experience—from the moment guests begin dreaming of a trip to check-in—is critical. And travel-planning solutions are getting more sophisticated.
Gogobot’s new app for iOS, for example, uses artificial intelligence to know what users want to do before they do, according to the company. (An Android app is coming soon.) When a user opens the app, it automatically provides individualized recommendations. Travis Katz, cofounder and CEO of Gogobot, said, “Most travel apps deliver a one-size-fits-all approach—no matter who you are or what you like, you’ll get the same list of recommended Top 10 attractions or best restaurants in a city. With Gogobot, you can find the places to eat, stay and play that match you as a person because when you use our app, you pick from the 19 tribes (e.g., foodie, family, budget, luxury, adventure, business) that resonate with you.”
The app incorporates an algorithm that takes millions of data points, such as what things people search most at various points in the day, individual preference based on tribes, whether the user is a local or a visitor or how far this person might typically travel in different locations. The app also spotlights local getaways as the weekend approaches, and offers a map-based search that lets users drill down into a specific neighborhood.
“You’ll see recommendations from others who like the same things you do. What’s more, we’ve also built it to be context-aware, so it’s actively adjusting those recommendations to suit the world around you—and you don’t need to do a thing to make that happen,” said Katz. “If it’s a rainy morning, you’ll get intelligent suggestions, like cool indoor activities and breakfast spots versus happy hour places. If you’re a local, you’ll get recommendations for quirky activities you probably haven’t tried yet, instead of tourist hotspots.
“People always think of artificial intelligence as Siri, Cortana or Echo—something you talk to and it responds back, like a personal assistant,” continued Katz. “In this case, our AI is context-aware, reading the world around you and working behind the scenes to predict what you are looking for and make suggestions before you have to bother asking.”
So how does that help hotels? “Gogobot has a number of tools, including interactive maps that hotels are adding to their websites to help guests discover the best things to do and places to eat in the vicinity,” said Katz. “Gogobot is also a concierge’s best friend. A concierge can ask guests a few questions to determine which tribes they identify with and easily suggest some quick things to do and see, plus places to eat, with the click of a few buttons.”
Additionally, hotels can encourage guests to review their stay and share their experience with the more than 10-million travelers who use Gogobot. “In the future, we envision partnerships where someone books a hotel and then receives a quick list of attractions and restaurants tailored for them, factoring in the weather, time of day, preferences, etc.,” said Katz.
Reflecting on engagement with travelers, Katz said, “Ultimately, it’s clear that the travel industry needs to do more to create that ongoing engagement—and most major players aren’t doing enough, if anything at all. That will change as we move more fully to a mobile-first mindset; travelers will need good reasons to engage on a regular basis. Gogobot’s content gives them that reason.”
—Nicole Carlino