Thinking Of Travel? You Can Stay At A Hands-Free Hotel And Google Will Let You Use Voice Commands

You probably are already thinking of when you will be able to travel next, where you want to go and which hotel you’d want to stay at. Admit it, you have already started keeping an eye out for flight tickets! The thing is, you may be in for a surprise the next time you check into a hotel. It could be a contactless service and a hands-free hotel, thanks to Google’s implementation of the Assistant in your room with the Google Nest Hub smart display. In what is essentially “the best of Google to your hotel” pitch by the tech giant to hotels around the world, they say that smart displays in each room will allow guests to access hotel information, personalized recommendations, access to music, weather updates, the ability to set alarms and even allow hotels to get regular feedback—all without the need for any human interaction.

Google says they will set up a Nest Hub smart display in each hotel room, the content for which will be tailored according to the specific requirements. Guests, for instance, will not have to call a human using the in-room phone for certain tasks—Google gives the examples of “Hey Google, schedule a wake-up call”, “Hey Google, ask my hotel for extra towels,” or “Hey Google, what time does the pool close?” as some potential use cases. There is also the option of fast check-outs for bookings that support that, and the smart hub can also be the guide for the city you are in.

The thing about such an implementation is that it gives hotels the flexibility to offer services and content customized for each guest, and not be restricted to a larger menu, so to say. The privacy aspect of the Google Nest Hub smart display is that it doesn’t have a camera either and there is a physical microphone toggle to turn that off too. You call out to it with a query, and apart from the audio, you also get a visual add-on for whatever you have asked. This is great for music playback, watching videos, checking the weather and even Netflix content, assuming that is enabled by your hotel.

Google says the hotels that have already adopted this hands-free system for their guests include Fairmont Princess in Scottsdale, Dr. Wilkinson’s Resort in Calistoga, Gale and Shelborne South Beach in Miami, Gansevoort Meatpacking and Synergy Chelsea in New York City, Hotel Zena and Viceroy D.C., as well as Village Hotels in the U.K. with more expected to join the list soon.