MCLEAN, Va., March 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilton
Worldwide (NYSE: HLT) and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a
collaboration to pilot "Connie" – the first Watson-enabled robot
concierge in the hospitality industry. Connie draws on domain
knowledge from Watson and WayBlazer to inform guests on local
tourist attractions, dining recommendations and hotel features and
amenities.
Connie, named for Hilton's founder Conrad Hilton, marks the first time IBM has
developed a Watson-enabled robot for the hospitality market. Connie
will work side-by-side with Hilton's Team Members to assist with
visitor requests, personalize the guest experience and empower
travelers with more information to help them plan their trips.
Currently stationed near reception at the Hilton McLean in
Virginia, Connie is learning to
interact with guests and respond to their questions in a friendly
and informative manner. Connie uses a combination of Watson APIs,
including Dialog, Speech to Text, Text to Speech and Natural
Language Classifier, to enable it to greet guests upon arrival and
to answer questions about hotel amenities, services and hours of
operation. By tapping into WayBlazer's extensive travel domain
knowledge powered by Watson, Connie can also suggest local
attractions outside the hotel.
The more guests interact with Connie, the more it learns, adapts
and improves its recommendations. The hotel will also have access
to a log of the questions asked and Connie's answers, which can
enable improvements to guests' experiences before, during and after
their stays.
Connie is powered by Watson, a cognitive computing technology
platform that represents a new era in computing where systems
understand the world in the way that humans do – through senses,
learning and experience.
"We're focused on reimagining the entire travel experience to
make it smarter, easier and more enjoyable for guests," said
Jonathan Wilson, vice president,
product innovation and brand services, Hilton Worldwide. "By
tapping into innovative partners like IBM Watson, we're wowing our
guests in the most unpredictable ways."
"This project with Hilton and WayBlazer represents an important
shift in human-machine interaction, enabled by the embodiment of
Watson's cognitive computing," said Rob
High, IBM fellow and vice president and chief technology
officer of IBM Watson. "Watson helps Connie understand and respond
naturally to the needs and interests of Hilton's guests -- which is
an experience that's particularly powerful in a hospitality
setting, where it can lead to deeper guest engagement."
"WayBlazer is excited to bring Watson's cognitive computing
capabilities directly to the traveler as a way to improve the
in-destination experience," said Felix
Laboy, CEO of WayBlazer. "We believe providing personalized
and relevant insights and recommendations, specifically through a
new form factor such as a robot, can transform brand engagement and
loyalty at the Hilton."
Connie is the latest example of Hilton's long history of
innovation to enhance guest stays, as far back as 1947 as the first
hotel company to introduce televisions into guest rooms. Recent
innovations include digital check-in with Room Selection, which
recently surpassed 10 million users; Digital Key; and partnerships
with Uber to deliver 'Local Scene' and 'Ride Reminders' and with
Tesla and Current, powered by GE, to rapidly expand the electric
vehicle charging program.
About Hilton Worldwide
Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT) is
a leading global hospitality company, comprised of more than 4,600
managed, franchised, owned and leased hotels and timeshare
properties with more than 758,000 rooms in 100 countries and
territories. For 96 years, Hilton Worldwide has been dedicated to
continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest
experiences. The company's portfolio of 13 world-class global
brands includes Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels
& Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Canopy by Hilton, Curio
- A Collection by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites by
Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton
by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites
by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages an
award-winning customer loyalty program, Hilton HHonors®. Hilton
HHonors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels
have access to benefits including free standard Wi-Fi, as well as
digital amenities that are available exclusively through the
industry-leading Hilton HHonors app, where HHonors members can
check-in, choose their room, and access their room using a Digital
Key. Visit news.hiltonworldwide.com for more information and
connect with Hilton Worldwide on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,
Flickr, LinkedIn and Instagram.
IBM Watson: Pioneering a New Era of Computing
IBM is actively applying Watson's cognitive capabilities to
companies across industries, including hospitality and consumer
packaged goods, as part of IBM's ongoing efforts to serve a broader
audience of users across various form factors such as robotics,
desktop, tablets, mobile, and other Internet of Things devices.
Toward this end IBM has announced a global strategic alliance with
SoftBank Robotics to meet the expanding needs of enterprise
clients. Watson represents a new era in computing called cognitive
computing, where systems understand the world the way humans do:
through senses, learning, and experience. Watson continuously
learns, gaining in value and knowledge over time, from previous
interactions. With the help of Watson, organizations are leveraging
cognitive computing to transform industries, help professionals do
their jobs better, and solve important challenges. To advance
Watson, IBM has three dedicated business units: Watson, established
for the development of cloud-delivered cognitive computing
technologies that represent the commercialization of "artificial
intelligence" or "AI" across a variety of industries; Watson
Health, dedicated to improving the ability of doctors, researchers
and insurers and other related health organizations to surface new
insights from data to and deliver personalized healthcare; and
Watson IoT, focused on making sense of data embedded in for more
than 9 billion connected devices operating in the world today,
which generate 2.5 quintillion bytes of new data daily. For more
information on IBM Watson, visit: ibm.com/Watson and
ibm.com/press/Watson
About WayBlazer
WayBlazer is the world's first
cognitive travel recommendation engine. WayBlazer surfaces the
perfect hotel for each traveler by using IBM Watson and proprietary
cognitive computing technology. This technology analyzes cues
and triggers from the traveler's search to personalize hotel
results for each individual traveler. Beyond finding the best
hotels, WayBlazer's cognitive technology dynamically merchandises
recommendations, media, insights, and local area knowledge in the
context of each individual and their trip profile. The
combination of the best hotel and personalized content increases
traveler engagement online and improves conversion rates.
WayBlazer delivers this technology to companies merchandising
hotels and to travel-related companies in search of revenue steams
from hotel bookings with an easy-to-use API. The privately held
company is based in Austin, Texas
and is led by seasoned travel and technology entrepreneurs,
including the Founder of Travelocity/Founding Chairman of
Kayak.com, the former GM of IBM Watson, and former President of
Sabre Hospitality. For more information, please visit
www.wayblazer.com.
CONTACT:
Sarah
Lipman
Hilton Worldwide
+1 703 883 5315
sarah.lipman@hilton.com
Gabby Gugliocciello
IBM
+1 314 494-8715
gguglio@us.ibm.com
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SOURCE IBM