AI-Powered Hotel Phone System: OpenAI for Guest Services
Published on:
February 18, 2025
Vodia has integrated OpenAI’s Realtime API with its PBX, enabling real-time AI-powered hotel phone systems that enhance guest services. By leveraging natural speech processing, guests can make reservations, request services, and access hotel amenities in multiple languages - all through voice commands. This integration streamlines hotel operations, reduces staff workload, and improves guest satisfaction. Whether booking a room, ordering room service, or arranging transportation, AI-powered phone systems provide seamless communication and efficiency. Hotels can now offer personalized, automated experiences while maintaining reliable, high-quality service.
The use of AI in just about every industry is increasing, particularly since October, 2024 when Open AI released a public beta of the Realtime API. Paid developers can now build low-latency, multimodal experiences in their apps: the Realtime API supports natural speech-to-speech conversations using the six preset voices already supported in the API; this is similar to the Advanced Voice Mode of ChatGPT.
Open API has also introduced audio input in the Chat Completions API. This enables developers to pass audio or text inputs into GPT-4o, and the model responds with a choice of audio/text. This means users can now speak to the chatbot; end-users can do this with apps or browsers, and they can also connect from a telephone system to the API.
Vodia has built a beta version of our PBX that makes this possible. We’ve enhanced the IVR node to handle real-time conversations by processing call audio through OpenAI’s Realtime API. Instead of relying on pre-set patterns or webhooks, the PBX dynamically routes speech to the AI, enabling natural interactions, improving operational efficiency, and providing a smoother customer experience.
Collaborating for Seamless Communication: Vodia PBX and OpenAI
The integration of AI with your communication systems can revolutionize the way your business operates. From automating repetitive tasks to increasing the efficiency of your workflows, collaboration between Vodia PBX and OpenAI’s Realtime API enhances collaboration - especially for Microsoft Teams users - and provides intelligent automation. MS Teams users can tap into AI-powered features, thanks to the integration of Microsoft Teams with Vodia, optimizing team collaboration and efficiency.
How does AI for Hotels Improve Hotel Operations?
An AI-powered hotel phone system streamlines operations, guest inquiries, reservations, and services efficiently, benefiting both smaller hotels and large chains. AI phone agents handle routine requests, provide instant responses, and free up hotel staff for more complex tasks. This ensures faster customer support and service delivery, reduces errors, and enhances overall guest satisfaction. As part of a larger hotel management strategy, the implementation of AI systems improves customer service, efficiency and guest engagement, streamlines hotel management, and boosts customer satisfaction.
Marketing campaigns can leverage AI to target guest preferences more accurately. By analyzing customer data, AI for hotels can anticipate customer behavior and offer personalized recommendations; it can streamline operations, using guest data to make the entire hotel guest experience more enjoyable and, ultimately, increasing guest loyalty, occupancy rates, and hotel revenue.
How Can an AI-Powered Hotel Phone System Enhance Guest Experiences?
By providing quick access to information, an AI-powered hotel phone system can enhance the guest experience. Guests can easily inquire about hotel services, make reservations, or request assistance, resulting in improved communication efficiency and overall satisfaction during their stay.
Revolutionizing Hotel Services with Artificial Intelligence - AI Phone Agents
The integration of Vodia with the OpenAI Realtime API is particularly suited for the hotel industry, where guests require regular interaction via telephone. It creates a perfect ecosystem for hotels by combining the power of AI with Vodia's dependable, easy-to-deploy, robust call center features. Key features include:
AI provides IVR, crucial for any company with extensions and/or departments
Auto-attendant for scheduling
Bots for appointments, bookings, reservations, and schedules
Human, readable language (no coding involved)
Mailbox control for managing guest feedback and requests
Multiple languages, so the IVR can reply in the language of the caller
Tenant-based, real-time phone system
How Vodia and OpenAI Transform Hotel Guest Interactions
The Vodia PBX and the OpenAI Realtime API can transform communication for hotels, thanks to a system of virtual assistants (AI chatbots) that can respond to any guest’s needs in any language. Let’s look at what a Spanish-speaking guest from Spain visiting a hotel in New York can accomplish via his or her smartphone. The integration of OpenAI’s Realtime API with Vodia “supercharges” the hotel phone system, first and foremost by responding to guest calls in the language the guest speaks. So what can our guest get done on his or her own, via voice, in a Midtown hotel and without any knowledge of English? Thanks to Vodia's advanced features, guests can:
Book a room before arrival using voice commands
Request housekeeping
Request specific guest room needs (blankets, extra towels, etc.)
Set Do-Not-Disturb hours (DND)
Order room service
Book tables at hotel restaurants
Arrange for services such as massage and spa
Call for taxi services
Access AI concierge services and book activities through the hotel, such as visits to museums, NYC landmarks, and other local attractions
Check out and pay hotel bill by credit card in real time
AI Technology Custom-Built for Guest Communication
Vodia’s integration with OpenAI’s Realtime API lets guests manage reservations and services through an AI-powered hotel phone system that responds in their language. It also keeps a record of all requests and creates a record of the guest’s stay, so busy desk staff and other hotel team members don’t have to worry about forgetting to send extra shampoos or a toothbrush to a guest’s room, or whether a cheeseburger is supposed to be rare or medium-well. It's the perfect communication solution for the hospitality industry.
Get Hands-On: Try the Vodia PBX with OpenAI Realtime API
To learn more about how the integration of Vodia with OpenAI's Realtime API, you can find a recording of our recent webinar here. Once you’ve viewed the webinar, you might want to take the integration of the Voda PBX and OpenAI Realtime API for a spin with a demo. Make sure you’re running Vodia PBX version 69.5.3 or higher. Setting it up is simple - you can deploy using our pre-configured DigitalOcean 1-click-app to launch your instance in the cloud with minimal effort. As for the license, you can use any license with an IVR node. Use Vodia’s demo code, 5TR-Y0P-ENA-124, or contact us, sales@vodia.com or +1 (617) 861-3490, so we can provide you with a 60-day demo license. Try it for yourself - get your demo license today, and find out what an AI-powered hotel phone system can do for you and your guests.
About Vodia
Vodia Networks, Inc. is a pioneering provider of B2B Cloud Communications Solutions catering to enterprises, contact centers and service providers. Vodia's PBX software boasts an extensive suite of business telephony features for on-premise and cloud-based systems and operates seamlessly across Windows, Linux or Mac platforms. Fully compliant with SIP industry standards, the Vodia phone system integrates effortlessly with a wide range of SIP-based devices and trunking providers, granting ultimate freedom in telephony. Vodia’s multi-tenancy platforms are compatible with an unprecedented number of technologies, including desk phones, softphones and APIs, for myriad third-party software and CRM systems. Our mission is to empower our partners and end-users with the world's best cloud PBX and personalized support to ensure their success at every turn. Our US headquarters are in Boston and our European headquarters are in Berlin; we also maintain offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Nicosia (Cyprus) and Sydney, Australia. Visit Vodia on LinkedIn, X and YouTube.
Vodia’s prepaid offering on DigitalOcean provides businesses with a fast, flexible way to deploy a fully licensed PBX system. Our tailored plans include options for SBC functionality, certified for MS Teams, enabling seamless integration of advanced PBX features like intelligent call routing, automated attendants, and voicemail, all while ensuring secure, high-fidelity voice communication. With extension-based licensing, organizations can easily scale their system from 10 to 80 extensions, making deployment simple and quick. Whether you’re new to PBX systems or an experienced developer, our step-by-step installation video and documentation guide you through the setup process.
With over 360 million SMBs across the globe, small and medium-sized businesses face a common challenge: delivering the same high-quality communication experience customers expect from large enterprises—without the enterprise budget. The Vodia phone system is built to meet this need, offering a powerful, scalable solution that transforms any device into a professional business phone. Whether your team is remote, mobile, or in-office, Vodia provides advanced features like call recording, voicemail transcription, Microsoft Teams integration, hot desking, CRM integration, and real-time analytics. Our per-user pricing ensures you get all the functionality without overpaying, and our mobile apps keep you connected from anywhere.
The Vodia PBX User Web Portal offers a comprehensive and intuitive interface that gives users full control over their communication experience. Designed to complement Vodia’s zero-touch provisioning, the portal enables secure browser-based calling via WebRTC, and syncing with Microsoft or Google contacts. Users can monitor real-time presence, manage call forwarding, handle parked calls, and control service flags for dynamic call routing. It also supports advanced call queue management, voicemail access with optional transcription, call recordings, and internal or SMS messaging. CRM integrations with platforms like Zoho further streamline workflows, while granular user settings and admin-controlled visibility ensure tailored access based on roles.
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