As 2017 is coming to an end it’s time to turn our heads to what the future holds for the hospitality industry and have a look at the hotel website and tech trends which will shape 2018.

A trend which dominated 2017 for the eCommerce sector, and is slowly making its way into the hotel digital strategies, is the rise of AI and the bots. Some of the most popular bots developed by the major tech companies are, of course, the ChatBots.

ChatBots are changing the way hotels are communicating with the customers and are a logical response to the growing use of mobile devices and the rise of millennial travelers who demand easy, fast and informal communication. The use of mobile for travel research and bookings has doubled in only 2 years and this trend allows for hotels to introduce an on-demand self-service option for the consumers. Large hotel chains like Marriott, Hyatt, and Starwood are already successfully using the bots as a channel for their client servicing.

When it comes to your website there are a number of things that you need to consider before integrating a ChatBot. In order to use this technology successfully and increase your direct bookings and revenue, make sure that you cover the following:

• You need to have a simple booking process which can be accommodated within a ChaBot.
• Be consistent with the booking experience which you provide for the guests across all booking options.
• You need a good Google ranking. Make sure you have a fully responsive website as Google is using your mobile performance as a factor to rank your hotel in searches.
• Have a best price guarantee on your website to make sure you won’t miss a potential booking.

Once you’ve covered all of the above the Chatbots’ ability to understand users’ intent and reply in real time can create a meaningful and personalized experience for your website visitors and will decrease the chance of missed booking opportunities.