Voice Recognition in Tourism Industry: A Case Study of Accor Hotels

The report highlights the opportunity of implementing voice recognition in any organization and seeks to ensure whether the concept is viable or not. The selected organization for the technological opportunity is the Accor Hotels. The report describes the meaning of the Voice Recognition (VR) technology in tourism industry and analyzed certain problems being currently faced by the hotel. Various trends and analysis for the VR have been analyzed for the Tourism sector. Certain recommendations for the same have also been provided.

Running head: VOICE RECOGNITION
VOICE RECOGNITION
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
The technology has developed extensively and each day brings up a new technology which can
be rightfully used by the companies. The industry as chosen for the report is the Tourism
industry. The Accor Hotels has been chosen as the organization. The report describes the
meaning of the Voice Recognition (VR) technology in tourism industry and analyzed certain
problems being currently faced by the hotel. Various trends and analysis for the VR have been
analyzed for the Tourism sector. Certain recommendations for the same have also been provided.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Existing technology analysis and trends in the Accor Hotels Tourism Industry.............................3
Describe scope of “Voice Recognition” in Accor Hotels in the Tourism Sector............................4
The problem statement and benefits “Voice Recognition” can solve issues identified Accor Hotel
in the Tourism Industry...................................................................................................................5
Business model canvas in the context of “Voice Recognition” in the Accor Hotels in the Tourism
Industry............................................................................................................................................6
Technology analysis and trends in the context of “Voice Recognition” in Tourism Industry........7
Alignment of business model and value proposition.......................................................................8
Value proposition.........................................................................................................................8
Crucial Customer Segments........................................................................................................9
Customer Journey Map................................................................................................................9
Recommendation & Conclusion....................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
The advent of technology has brought about a large number of changes in the
organization and for this purpose, in order to be successful in the long run, any business would
be required to ensure that they are successfully able to implement the use of the technology in
the business so that they are easily able to combat against competition and increase the use of
efficiency in their organization (Lockyer 2013). In this aspect, tourism industry has also
developed greatly and has been an experimental ground for various technological advancements.
The report highlights the opportunity of implementing voice recognition in any organization and
seeks to ensure whether the concept is viable or not. The selected organization for the
technological opportunity is the Accor Hotels.
Existing technology analysis and trends in the Accor Hotels Tourism Industry
The Accor Hotels is one of the largest multinational hotel groups present in the globe
today and has its branches as well as subsidiaries in various parts of the globe. With the
technological advancement, the organization has greatly trying to ensure that it digitalizes all the
processes of the company and that it successfully brings about efficiency in its different
operations throughout. The company has a well digitalized check in procedure, with online room
booking facility (Chan, Okumus & Chan 2018, pg. 829-852). The bill payment, maintenance,
staff management and other such activities are carried out with the help of an online database.
Moreover, the travelers and guests at the hotel can also set in their preferences in advance during
the booking procedure. However, there are still certain issues being faced by the organization.
These issues are as follows:

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The customers are very often not comfortable with the temperature of the room or the
temperature of their water during bath and often call up the reception for the management of the
same. However, it is not always possible for the staff members to carry out the requests
immediately or to attend o the customer in one instance. This often frustrates the customer and
leads to a poor image of the organization on the side of the customer (SiteMinder. 2018).
Moreover, another issue being faced by the hotel is that it is not being able to provide
exceptional relationship management services to its customers during the peak seasons. This
means that customers often approach the reception but are not being attended on a one to one
basis. This may cause problems for the organization which then might lead to poor revenue
streaming.
Describe scope of “Voice Recognition” in Accor Hotels in the Tourism Sector
Voice recognition can be rightfully described as the procedure by which the computer
analysis the human voice which the different customers can input and tends to interpret the
words and the meanings be shared through the individual voice. This makes the entire problem
understanding or feedback system comparatively very simple and can lead to better services
being provided to the customers.
Various hotels in the same industry like the JW Marriot have already installed voice
recognition in their in room experience. According to him, it assists the guests by providing them
with immediate access to the experience schedules, room service, restaurant information and
directions (Accorhotels.com. 2018). This assists the organization to provide an excellent service
to its guests and makes them immensely popular. Other hotels lie Starwood Aloft properties also
initiated the voice recognition procedure of Apple Siri to solve the guest issues. Hence, it can be
stated that for these uses, even Accor Hotel will be able to make use of Voice Recognition with

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the help of which it will successfully be able to attend to the needs of the customers and other
guests by providing them with a wholesome experience.
The problem statement and benefits “Voice Recognition” can solve issues identified Accor
Hotel in the Tourism Industry
From the given analysis, it could be identified that the Accor Hotels has been facing
issues with respect to the lead time taken by the staff at the organization to fulfill the requests of
the customers on basic areas like room temperature, orders and others along with the inability to
maintain fruitful relationships and provide them advice on the same. Hence, it can be stated that
these problems which have been recognized can be stated to be easily solved by the application
of a Voice Recognition system in the organization. The benefits of Voice Recognition can be as
follows:
The hotel will be able to improve its customer service activities by providing one stop
solution for the guest requests (SiteMinder. 2018). The guests can request the voice recognition
mechanism which will be present to reduce the room temperature, or to heat their bath, they can
even request the voice recognition to order lunch for them and other such demands.
Moreover, the voice recognition system will also be able to successfully make
bookings in advance, ensure that their trip is successful. This will enable a strong relationship
with the customers and help in brand management.

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Business model canvas in the context of “Voice Recognition” in the Accor Hotels in the
Tourism Industry
The Business Model Canvas forms an essential part of the organization and it enables
the business to understand the different components of the business. The business canvas model
of the Accor Hotels in context of Voice Recognition has been given as follows:
Key Partners
Restaurants who are
locally situated and can
get the deals for the
hotel
Travel companies who
often book flight tickets
and hotel rooms
Large MNCs who often
need accommodation
for their employees
The software
developers who tend to
provide support for the
AI. Companies like
Google, Amazon and
Apple
Key Activities
Providing voice
recognition service
Accommodation
Conferences
Food
Sightseeing
Private holiday
Amenities (PCMA.org.
2018).
Room service
Value Proposition
Offers
technologically
advanced voice
recognition
services
Quick and quality
service of
consumers (Tran
2015, p.65-70).
Luxurious stay
Free trips
Free breakfasts
Customer
Relationships
Social media
channel
Voice recognition
to advise
customers
Loyalty programs
Customer
Segments
Rich and upper
middle class
income group
Honeymoon
couple
Business
travelers
Local
backpackers
Key Resources Channels

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The infrastructure
Staff
The artificial intelligence
and voice recognition
device
Knowledge service
Physical service
Online services
Voice Recognition
services to the
customers
Cost Structure
Cleaning and maintenance
Staff
AI Voice recognition maintenance
Food
Revenue Streams
Increased sales due to voice recognition
Guests payment
Commissions
Conference and other Business events
Technology analysis and trends in the context of “Voice Recognition” in Tourism Industry
As the technology has developed over time, various IT giant companies have come up
with various products like Alexa, Echo and other home assistants in order to fulfill the needs of
the different customers. According to Lee, Denizci Guillet and Law (2013, p. 95-107) it needs to

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be note that this technology is not just being restricted into the homes of the individuals but is
now expanding to the tourism and hotel industry as well.
As stated earlier, various hotels around the globe have been testing this technology and in
an interview taken from the General Manager of the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country
Resort and Spa it could be reflected that they were looking forward to the use of Echo Dot by
Amazon which was launched in 10 rooms. With the help of this technology, the guests at the
hotel will get an instant access to restaurant menu, room service, directions and other details
which gives business travelers less time to waste. As larger hotels have always been looking
forward forefront of technology, this was quite expected (PCMA.org. 2018). In 2017, the
Starwood Aloft properties also used Apple technology to adjust the lights, temperature and
perform other tasks as well. Even the Wynn Resorts announced that their hotels in Las Vegas
will make use of the Echo voice recognition in order to ensure automated customer service.
The voice recognition trend has caused greater convenience to the guests and is expected
to increase the revenue for the travel providers. As the information on customers are largely
available, their requests can now be saved and used for the future (Wang et al. 2016, p. 163-172).
When the voice recognition technology is being provided to the customers with accurate
information, the traveler saves time and Artificial Intelligence (AI) `s role becomes successful.
Moreover, even airports will use this technique to guide the guests and make their stay
pleasurable.
Alignment of business model and value proposition
Value proposition

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The value proposition of the hotel is to provide good quality services to the guest and
provide them a comfortable stay. In the hotel industry a comfortable stay can be described as one
whereby the customer relationships are managed well, the customers are well guided and the
bond is increased. Hence, Accor Hotel has a similar value proposition.
In this context, it can be stated that the business model of the company is rightfully
designed to meet the value proposition. Voice recognition has made its way in various domains
of a hotel like Key Partners, revenue streams, cost structure, customer relationships and others.
For this reason, it can be stated that the alignment of the business model and value proposition is
aligned.
Crucial Customer Segments
Rich and upper middle class income group: These individuals are the main target of the
organization and for this reason, they need to be served well with the latest technology (Melián-
González & Bulchand-Gidumal 2016, p. 30-37). These customers have high demands which can
be met easily with the voice recognition.
Business travelers: This segment is on a tight schedule and hence, Voice Recognition
would allow them to save time and utilize their resources well.
Customer Journey Map

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Figure 1: The customer journey map in a hotel (Source: Lee, Jeong & Choi 2014, pg. 307).
Recommendation & Conclusion
Therefore, from the given analysis, it can be stated that, every industry is in the need
of innovation and for the tourist industry this has been the Voice Recognition aspect. Various
hotels in the industry have already been applying the concept and hence, guidelines and
supporting technological devices must also be installed accordingly. The report identified the
scope and trend of the VR in the industry and helped in understanding the way in which the
Accor Hotels can benefit from the same.

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References
Accorhotels.com. ,2018. Book Hotel Online - Best Price Guarantee - AccorHotels.com. [online]
Available at: https://www.accorhotels.com/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2018].
Chan, E.S., Okumus, F. & Chan, W., 2018. Barriers to environmental technology adoption in
hotels. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 42(5), pp.829-852.
Lee, H.A., Denizci Guillet, B. & Law, R., 2013. An examination of the relationship between
online travel agents and hotels: A case study of Choice Hotels International and Expedia.
com. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 54(1), pp.95-107.
Lee, Y.K., Jeong, Y.K. & Choi, J., 2014. Service quality, relationship outcomes, and
membership types in the hotel industry: A survey in Korea. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism
Research, 19(3), pp.300-324.
Lockyer, T., 2013. The international hotel industry: Sustainable management. Routledge.
Melián-González, S. & Bulchand-Gidumal, J., 2016. A model that connects information
technology and hotel performance. Tourism Management, 53, pp.30-37.
PCMA.org. ,2018. How the Voice-Recognition Revolution Is Changing Hotels - PCMA.org.
[online] Available at: https://www.pcma.org/how-the-voice-recognition-revolution-is-changing-
hotels/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2018].
SiteMinder. ,2018. Face and voice recognition: The promises they make to travellers -
SiteMinder. [online] Available at: https://www.siteminder.com/r/trends-advice/hotel-travel-
industry-trends/face-voice-emotional-recognition-promises-make-travellers/ [Accessed 11 Aug.
2018].

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Tran, T.K., 2015, January. SentiVoice-a system for querying hotel service reviews via phone.
In Computing & Communication Technologies-Research, Innovation, and Vision for the Future
(RIVF), 2015 IEEE RIVF International Conference on (pp. 65-70). IEEE.
Wang, Y.S., Li, H.T., Li, C.R. & Zhang, D.Z., 2016. Factors affecting hotels' adoption of mobile
reservation systems: A technology-organization-environment framework. Tourism
Management, 53, pp.163-172.