From improved customer search to AI travel bots, artificial intelligence could ensure the vacation from hell becomes a thing of the past.
What was your vacation from hell?
Like your worst date or birthday, when the question comes up in the bar, cafe or salon we all fall over ourselves to provide the most lurid description possible in order to outdo each other. Long waits at the airport, foul food or horrific hotels are recanted at great length. We can do everything we can to avoid our nightmare trip but even the best-laid plans can go awry – like the disastrous Fyre Festival where people paid $12,000 only to discover themselves playing survivor on an island like the Lord of the Flies.
Artificial intelligence (AI) may not totally prevent such experiences but it can go further than ever before to provide the perfect tailor-made vacation.
AI travel: a market ready for more
You might not realize it but AI is already widely used within the travel industry. In fact, nearly 85% of travel professionals use it in some form. But it is not entirely visible with nearly half using it for backend functions such as processing bookings or credit card transactions.
The AI travel market is ready for further investment. According to Pricewaterhouse Coopers, 56% of their focus group respondents are willing to utilize a virtual travel agent. In addition, it makes sense for travel companies to invest in this technology.
For example, as the cost of search marketing for hotels increases, it has become imperative for them to focus on customer loyalty. AI can be the key to unlocking this by helping hoteliers know more about their customers.
Artificial intelligence: the perfect vehicle for your getaway
There are already numerous examples of AI working to improve the vacation experience.
For women, one of the main concerns with traveling is security and safety. JOZU for Women uses AI algorithms to provide customized recommendations to users on the do’s and don’ts of traveling. Their technology aims to vet recommendations to ensure complete trust in advice issued and their real-time safety information during travels.
There is no better feeling than getting a bargain on a large investment such as a vacation. Companies like Hitlist are using AI to analyze data to provide the best price, time and place to travel.
Airlines are also using AI to improve their customer experience. The likes of Vueling and Thomas Cook Airlines utilize natural language processing (NLP) to ensure customers’ queries are answered to their exact liking. This is achieved by analyzing the meaning behind their query as opposed to simply the keywords.
Meet your new concierge: the AI travel bot
While a world of pilotless planes and AI-run hotels might still be some way off, there are still ways the vacation experience can be further improved.
For example, is it inconceivable to think that hotels could use our data to predict what kind of amenities we would like in our room and what additional services we tend to use – such as spa treatments or gym opportunities?
Is it too outlandish to even think of a time when we do not even need to pick where we go for our vacation? It is possible that with artificial intelligence and machine learning, your data could be used to predict exactly where you would like to go, where you would like to stay and what you would like to do when you get there.
We have already seen enough benefits from AI to believe the prospect of a vacation from hell might soon freeze over. The future will be here sooner than you think.
Inbenta utilizes its patented natural language processing and +11 years of research & development to create interactive chatbots with an industry leading +90% self-service rate.
Companies around the world including Pinterest and Docusign utilize Inbenta to maintain a personal service for their customers while reducing support tickets.
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