Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly evolving technology that is transforming many industries, including the travel and hospitality industries. With AI, travel companies are now able to offer more personalized services, automate complex processes, and improve operational efficiency. In this article, we will discuss how AI has changed the travel and hospitality industry, from flight bookings and customer service to data analytics and sentiment analysis. We will also look at the benefits of AI and some of the trends that we can expect to see in the near future.
How is AI Changing the Travel Industry?
AI has revolutionized the Travel industry by providing travellers with more personalized, convenient, and efficient services. AI-powered chatbots are now widely used for travel bookings, eliminating the need for travel agents. AI is also used for flight forecasting, allowing travellers to find the best flight prices at the right time. Furthermore, AI-driven applications are used for data analytics, helping travel companies identify valuable insights from customer data. AI is also used for sentiment analysis, allowing travel companies to gauge customer satisfaction by monitoring social media conversations.
AI Assistants For Travel Booking AI-powered chatbots are widely used for travel bookings, allowing travellers to book flights, and accommodations, and hire vehicles online. Travel booking giants such as Booking.com, Skyscanner, and Expedia are now using such chatbots to provide customers with a more personalized booking experience. When the chatbot is activated on a platform such as Facebook or Whatsapp, users can enter their destination to start the conversation with the bot.
The bot will then search for the cheapest flights to the destination and redirect the user to the official website to complete the booking. Robots For Face-to-Face Customer Services Robots are increasingly being deployed in airports and hotels to provide face-to-face customer service. The London Heathrow airport has employed a robot to guide passengers in terminals and the Henn-na Hotel in Nagasaki is the world’s first hotel fully staffed by multi-lingual robots primarily used for check-in and checkout processing. The Hilton McLean hotel in Virginia has also deployed a robot concierge named Connie, which is programmed with IBM’s Watson AI platform and Wayblazer to answer human queries related to hotel features and local attractions.
AI-Driven Applications For Flight Forecasting AI-driven applications such as Hopper are being used by travellers to get a heads-up on future flight prices. These applications are based on machine learning algorithms and use a flight database to predict optimal hotel prices and flights, while offering users personalized recommendations about the most suitable time to book a flight. Data Analytics To Identify Valuable Insights
Travel companies are leveraging AI to sort through vast data sets quickly and accurately, allowing them to identify trends in customer behaviour. Businesses get the opportunity to devise better solutions that fulfil customer needs by identifying such trends. For instance, the Dorchester Collection hotel has used AI to process and analyze customer feedback surveys, customer reviews, and online polls to determine its overall performance.
Sentiment Analysis Through Social Media
Social media is being used to identify the sentiment of travellers and how it relates to their journey. Airlines and hotels are leveraging this technology coupled with AI to monitor social media conversations and gauge customer satisfaction. Room Mapping + Dynamic Price Tracking AI is also used for room mapping and dynamic price tracking in the hospitality industry. AI-driven applications are used for room mapping, allowing hotels to easily manage bookings and allocate rooms in real time.
Furthermore, AI-powered applications are used for dynamic price tracking, allowing hotels to adjust prices automatically according to demand. AI Trends in the Travel Industry For 2021 and Beyond The increased use of AI in the travel industry is expected to continue in 2021 and beyond. Some of the trends we can expect to see include smart baggage handling, robots and voice assistants, and personalized travel planning.
Smart baggage handling, for instance, will allow travellers to track their baggage in real time using AI-powered applications. Robots and voice assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant, will be increasingly used to provide personalized services to travellers. Furthermore, AI-driven applications will be used to provide personalized travel planning, allowing travellers to easily plan their trips according to their preferences.
Conclusion
AI has revolutionized the travel and hospitality industry, providing travellers with more personalized, convenient, and efficient services. AI-powered chatbots are now widely used for travel bookings, and robots are increasingly being deployed in airports and hotels to provide face-to-face customer service. AI-driven applications are also used for flight forecasting, data analytics, and sentiment analysis through social media. Furthermore, AI is used for room mapping and dynamic price tracking. In 2021 and beyond, we can expect to.
How is artificial intelligence being used in the travel and hospitality industry? was originally published in What’s New World !? on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
