South Korea’s first ‘AI hotel’ opened by telecoms company KT
The 523-room Novotel Ambassador in Seoul offers around-the-clock services, including voice-recognition room controls for lighting and air conditioning
South Korea’s telecommunications company KT Corp says it has opened a tech-centric hotel in central Seoul that offers guests artificial intelligence (AI)-based features around the clock.
The Novotel Ambassador Hotel and Residence, built on the site of its former Euljiro office in Jung-gu, was South Korea’s first-ever “AI hotel”, KT said on Wednesday.
The hotel, which opened on July 3, has 523 rooms with Accor Ambassador Korea handling the management.
We will offer a new concept of hotels and services to guests in and outside the country by injecting KT’s IT infrastructure [and] provide tourists with innovative conveniences and new experiences
The hotel features KT’s voice-recognition AI platform, Giga Genie, which enables guests to control lighting and television as well as air conditioning and heating through voice commands or with a touch-screen display.
Guests can also request amenities such as bath gels using the AI features.
KT, which is the nation’s second-largest mobile carrier, said that it would continue to enhance its technology to offer AI concierge services to guests.
The additional services would allow guests to check out of the hotel from their room and order room service by voice commands.
The company said its AI hotel system was capable of recognising English and that it expected positive feedback from foreign guests.
It planned to add Japanese and Chinese to the voice-command system as early as November to attract more foreign guests, it said.
KT will also offer a smartphone, the “Genie phone”, which guests can pick up at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport or at the hotel.