Alexa to Come to a Hotel Near You

Amazon has announced that they will be partnering with several hotels to bring an “Alexa for Hospitality” platform to them. This move marks a big push by Amazon to have their Alexa-based Echo services become more mainstream and recognizable. While many will likely find this convenient, some other may be put-off by the presence of an always-on mic in their rooms. 

Convenience in Hospitality 

Using Alexa to control smart-home features is already a luxurious feeling. Staying at a hotel with smart features enabled is a pretty natural step. Hotel-specific features like ordering room service are welcome additions, too! Hotels are looking forward to “deepening engagement” with their guests through the service. Hotels have promised unique skills for the virtual assistant through their service, as well. The service promises features like specialized music services and connecting to users’ existing Amazon accounts, too. By connecting their accounts, they could access their music and e-books through the hotel Echo devices. The account would be disconnected after check-out, of course.  

Strengthened Alexa Privacy Features 

Many people were less than shocked to hear that an Echo device sent a private conversation as a message accidentally. After all, when you have an always-on mic, the opportunity for such mix-ups are possible even without malicious intent. As such, some users will likely be unsure of having a microphone in their room listening to their every word. Amazon has promised that Hospitality-enabled Echo devices will delete all recorded audio and won’t allow for hotel staff to listen in.  

However, they have also promised that Alexa for Hospitality will provide advanced analytics for hotels to show guest engagement. As such, it seems likely that data collected by Alexa will be viewable by hotel staff somehow. Amazon went on to clarify, however, that guests staying in hotels with the service can ask to stay in a room without an Echo.  

How do you feel about Alexa? Do you think the personal assistant is a handy way to control smart-home features? Or are you hesitant to have an always-listening microphone in the room with you? Either way, it’s hard to deny how convenient the service is, and it’s a natural fit for hospitality.