Dublin-based tech company P3 Hotel Software’s booking engine is now powered by artificial intelligence through a collaboration with Kerry, Ireland-based AI firm Arvoia that aims to both deliver a unique booking experience for each guest and help hotels better compete with online travel operators. The upgraded platform works by deriving a behavioral understanding of the needs of each guest in real time and altering the booking engine and website accordingly to prioritize the most relevant rooms, hotel amenities and content, rather than that just showing room rates in order of price.
According to Arvoia, the booking engine is already driving increased direct bookings at hotels across Ireland and the U.K. According to P3, Ireland’s Dalata Hotel Group has seen its average booking value per guest and conversion rate for potential customers rise consistently over the first three months of deployment. Significantly, one third of the increase has come in the past three weeks, indicating that the AI booking engine is becoming more effective at predicting human behavior as it learns over time.
Phelim Pekaar, CEO of P3, said the AI booking engine will be rolled out to customers in the U.S. and European markets in 2022. “The new AI-driven booking engine is a game-changer for hoteliers who until now couldn’t compete with the technology OTAs have at their disposal," Pekaar said. “The AI-driven booking engine is constantly learning and making decisions to provide guests with the most personalized booking experience possible based on their requirements. For a couple, this might mean prioritizing a special rate which includes dinner, as well as bed and breakfast, and a spa treatment. For a family, it could mean prioritizing an option of interconnecting rooms and the hotel’s leisure facilities."
Mike Webster, CEO of Arvoia, called the AI platform “the world’s most advanced AI solution for hoteliers,” noting the service’s expansion across European hotels. “It has delivered increases in direct customers, revenue and guest satisfaction without the need for the hotel to invest in new technology,” he said. “At last, hoteliers have independent access to the powerful AI technology that has been driving digital-first companies such as booking.com for years without having to invest in a new tech stack. Hotel’s own websites and booking platforms are about to enter a new era of innovation and we are delighted that this new product will be at the forefront of this global wave of change.”