CPH Hotels focuses on digital service: New chatbot makes it easier for guests and employees to access information

Hamburg, 22.10.2024 – The hotel cooperation CPH Hotels has taken a further step towards digitalization: a chatbot has recently been launched on the CPH website to provide both guests and employees with important information about the hotel group. The bot was initially trained with basic questions about CPH Hotels and is being continuously improved through the active involvement of guests and employees.

“Our aim is to make it even easier for visitors to our website to find information,” explains Sabine Möller, Managing Partner of CPH Hotels. “In addition, the chatbot can also provide valuable support to colleagues in the individual CPH Hotels when there are questions about the hotel group or specific information about the individual hotels.”

Guests and employees help train the chatbot
In order to optimize the chatbot in a practical way, both guests and employees were actively involved in training the bot. As part of a mailing campaign to CPH cardholders and end customers, they were invited to test the chatbot and ask it questions. A surprise package was raffled off as a thank you. The aim of this campaign was to find out which questions are asked particularly frequently – and which queries are perhaps not yet sufficiently covered.

At the same time, employees at CPH Hotels were also encouraged to test the chatbot with questions about their respective hotels. “The employees know their guests’ most frequently asked questions best, so their input is particularly valuable for further improving the chatbot,” is Möller’s feedback.

Initial experiences and charming feedback
The feedback from guests was consistently positive. Some participants particularly appreciated the speed of the chatbot, which responds to inquiries within seconds. Questions about bookings were asked particularly frequently. The chatbot then links directly to the booking page.

“There was also very nice feedback that brought humor to the exchange,” says Möller. One guest who received an incorrect answer responded with humor and understanding: “I have two children and a dog – I know what it’s like to raise them. But the investment is worth it in the long run.”

Digitalization as an answer to the shortage of skilled workers
At the “Digital Hotel Day” of the Allgemeine Hotel- und Gastronomie-Zeitung (AHGZ) in Wolfsburg, a survey of participating hotels confirmed that the automation of processes is seen as particularly important in view of the shortage of skilled workers. Tools such as chatbots can help to reduce recurring The chatbot is able to handle inquiries regarding opening times or arrival information, for example, and thus relieve the workload on reception staff.

Although the project at CPH Hotels is still too young to evaluate concrete relief effects, expectations are high that the chatbot will take over these tasks in the future and support staff with routine inquiries.

Experiences from the first hotel to use a chatbot
The CPH Hotel in Wolfsburg is the first hotel to actively use the chatbot. “Our guests are responding well to the chatbot, especially as they can communicate in their native language,” reports owner Roland Lohss. “The quality of the responses is impressively high. The questions we receive and the corresponding answers are used to update the database on a daily basis with little effort.” This continuous fine-tuning ensures that the bot is constantly improving and adapting to the specific needs of guests. With its ability to communicate in over 120 languages, communication problems should also be ruled out.

Future plans for the chatbot
The next step is to integrate the chatbot into CPH Hotels’ social media channels. This will make it possible to support guests directly via platforms such as Facebook or Instagram and provide them with quick answers to their questions. In the long term, the chatbot is set to become a central component of CPH Hotels’ digital communication strategy.

About CPH Hotels
CPH Hotels is a hotel cooperation based in Hamburg and unites around 30 privately managed three- to four-star hotels in Germany and Europe. Under the motto “Simply good hosts”, each member hotel stands for warm hospitality, local authenticity and personal service. With three clear cooperation lines – City Partner Hotels, Conference Partner Hotels and Country Partner Hotels – CPH Hotels offers tailor-made solutions for city, conference and country hotels. Since 1997, the cooperation has focused on independence, quality and success in the private hotel industry.

SHORT VERSION

CPH Hotels focuses on digital service: New chatbot optimizes guest communication

Hamburg, 22.10.2024 – The hotel cooperation CPH Hotels has introduced a chatbot on its website to make it easier for guests and employees to access important information. The chatbot responds to requests within seconds and has been trained with questions about the hotel group. Guests and employees were actively involved in the training in order to continuously improve the bot.

The chatbot already accepts booking inquiries in particular, currently referring to the booking link on the website. In the future, it should be able to process bookings directly. The first hotel to actively use the chatbot is the CPH Hotel in Wolfsburg. Hotelier Roland Lohss reports positive feedback from guests, but emphasizes the need to update the bot regularly.

The next stage of expansion involves integrating the chatbot into CPH Hotels’ social media channels in order to provide guests with quick answers there too.

About CPH Hotels
CPH Hotels is a hotel cooperation with around 30 privately managed member hotels in Germany and Europe. It offers individual services for business and leisure travelers.

Press contact:
CPH Hotelmarketing GmbH
Sabine Möller
Walddörferstraße 126
D-22041 Hamburg
Telefon: +49 40 | 656941- 0
E-Mail: cph@cph-hotels.com
Website: www.cph-hotels.com