Kioskly AI

Question

What is a digital concierge?

The same idea as the person behind the hotel desk, minus the queue.

2 min readBy the Kioskly AI team

Quick answer

A digital concierge is a self-service assistant that answers guests' and visitors' everyday questions: opening times, directions, amenities and recommendations. It can be a screen in a lobby, a page guests open on their phone, or an AI that answers out loud, like Kioskly AI on an iPad. It handles routine questions; bookings, payments and special requests stay with staff.

Four kinds of digital concierge

  • A lobby screen or kiosk. Guests tap through information about the hotel, the area and services.
  • A mobile guide. A web page or app, often opened with a QR code in the room, with house rules, menus and local tips.
  • A messaging chatbot. Guests text questions before or during their stay and get instant replies.
  • An AI voice concierge. A device in the lobby that guests simply talk to, and that answers out loud. This is what Kioskly AI does.

Where digital concierges are used

Hotels are the classic case, but anywhere visitors arrive with questions can use one: holiday apartments and hostels, museums and visitor centers, office receptions, malls, gyms and clinics' waiting areas, and shops with lots of tourists.

What makes a good one

  • It answers from your information only. A concierge that guesses breakfast times is worse than none.
  • It speaks the guest's language. Kioskly AI speaks 25 languages, and with Premium guests can switch to theirs on the screen.
  • It's easy to find, at eye level near the entrance or the desk, with a sign saying what to ask.
  • A person is never far away, for bookings, payments, complaints and anything personal.

Digital concierge vs human concierge

A human concierge gets you a table at the place that's fully booked. A digital concierge tells you when breakfast starts, for the hundredth time today, in Japanese. The best hotels use both: the screen takes the routine questions so people can spend their time on the moments guests remember.

For a step-by-step setup, see our digital concierge guide for hotels.

Frequently asked questions

Do guests actually use digital concierges?

Many prefer them for quick questions. In a 2022 study of 5,266 consumers by Oracle Hospitality and Skift, 73% agreed they were more likely to stay at a hotel that offers self-service technology.

Does a digital concierge need an app download?

Some do. Kioskly AI doesn't need anything from the guest: it runs on your iPad or iPhone in the lobby, and guests simply walk up and ask.

Sources & further reading

  1. Oracle research: 73% of travelers more likely to choose hotels offering self-service tech — Hospitality Net, 2022