It’s extremely common in the travel and hospitality industries for customers to have a lot of questions before, during and after making a purchase or booking. They are relying on businesses to provide an outstanding travel experience to help them create their dream holiday, organize a work trip, or book a trip to see family. But offering agent support to cater to all these customer questions 24/7 can be a costly affair. That’s where travel and hospitality chatbots come in.

Businesses are taking advantage of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning-enabled chatbots to help deliver better and more personalized support experiences to customers. Chatbots should, therefore, be a big part of your customer service strategy. 

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What is a travel and hospitality chatbot? 

A travel chatbot is an automated virtual assistant that helps your customers complete a variety of travel-related tasks including making bookings, payments, finding an alternate flight or hotel options, and much more. It can also answer simple questions and point customers toward helpful resources. 

Chatbots for travel and hospitality can be set up to either simply answer common queries or can use Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Natural Language Processing to understand customer intent, predict and recommend solutions based on previous interactions, and offer conversational support that your customers are more likely to engage with.

Why use a travel and hospitality chatbot?

87% of customers would use a travel bot if it could save them both time and money. 

The travel industry is highly competitive, so being able to provide instant and automated support to your customers is essential. If you don’t use a chatbot, customers with critical questions about their potential trip must wait for your human agents to find the time to get back to them. 

Without a chatbot, your company is handling all booking-related tasks manually, which takes up a lot of time. You can only assist a limited number of customers at a time, or you require customers to complete all transactions through your website. Customers are left completely on their own and may turn to your competitors for a better service. 

A virtual travel agent takes the effort out of managing reservations and planning trips by providing instant responses. Your chatbot can: 

Benefits of chatbots for travel and hospitality 

 

Chatbots offer a number of unique benefits for the travel and hospitality industry.

Chatbots are available 24/7

Customers usually expect an immediate response when they have a customer service question. Chatbots can provide instant support for those burning questions when customers are going through the often stressful process of booking a trip or getting ready to fly. 

No matter what time of day or where in the world the customer is, chatbots are always available, which is crucial for the travel and hospitality industry. For example, queries such as “can I carry my guitar in cabin baggage?” updates on flight schedules, or “how much does it cost to put my bicycle in the hold?” can be addressed by chatbots.

They ease the burden on your support team

If you’re a typical travel or hospitality business, it’s likely your support team is bombarded with questions from customers. Most of these questions could probably be handled by a virtual travel agent, freeing your human agents to focus on the more complex cases that require a human touch. Queries related to baggage tracking, managing bookings, seat selection, and adding complementary facilities can be automated, which will ease the burden on the agent.

Chatbots can provide multilingual support

40% of customers won’t make a purchase in their non-native language. [2] Multilingual chatbots allow you to provide support to this huge customer segment and consequently generate more sales. When you eliminate the language barrier and interact with a customer in their native language, customers are more likely toprefer you to your competitors. 

Drive more conversions on your website

When customers are browsing your website, receiving timely and relevant support from a chatbot may drive them toward conversion. When chatbots are properly deployed, they can make tailored suggestions for customers that can prompt them to book their next trip with you. 

Chatbots can also generate more conversions by showing relevant offers and discounts to the user to upsell effectively. They can offer additional services like airport pickup, upgraded seats, an airport lounge, or an extra one-night stay for a specific price. 

Allows you to scale your support operations

Usually, gaining more customers means you need to think about growing your customer support team. Payroll obviously costs money, but the hiring process is also expensive and time-consuming. Meanwhile, your customers are demanding immediate answers. Chatbots can fill the gap and handle thousands of customer conversations, whereas support agents can only deal with a few at a time, increasing your levels of customer satisfaction. 

Use cases of travel chatbots

Let’s explore some of the most useful use cases for chatbots within travel and hospitality.

Compare itineraries

Chatbots can help users search for their desired destinations or accommodation and compare the results. Customers can input their criteria, and the bot will provide them with relevant results. Customers are more likely to complete a booking when they see a reservation that is relevant to them. 

Handle common questions 

Customers are likely to have many questions during and after the booking process. A chatbot can handle these FAQs and point customers toward self-service resources. When customers have access to a chatbot, it can give them instant answers and make it more likely they will complete their booking. 

Booking reservations

Many travel chatbots can book reservations for users once they have decided on their travel plans. Bots can take payment information and trigger confirmation emails. This process is even easier than completing a booking via the website or contacting a human support agent. 

Manage bookings

The journey doesn’t end once the customer has made their booking. Chatbots can help customers manage their reservations by selecting their seats, checking in online, altering check-in dates, and more. They can book extra products, such as more luggage, or upgrade their seats, streamlining the process for customers. 

Process cancellations

In the unfortunate event that a customer has to cancel their reservation, the chatbot can handle that too. As long as the customer has their booking reservation on hand, the bot can cancel the booking, recommend replacement bookings, and start processing a claim for a refund. 

Recommend other products

When customers have already made their booking, they may be open to related products such as renting a car, package deals on flights and hotels, or sightseeing tours. Chatbots can recommend further products and increase profits for the company. 

Real-life examples of travel chatbots

Let’s take a look at a few examples of chatbots in the world of travel.

Expedia

Expedia has a chatbot that lets customers manage their bookings easily, check dates, and ask about a hotel’s facilities. Naturally, the bot requires users to sign in before showing them their details. 

Expedia’s chatbot is available 24 hours a day to help customers answer their questions and will quickly connect them to a live agent in the event that their question goes unanswered. Customers can cancel their bookings through the chatbot app and find out the status of their refund. 

Emirates Holidays

Emirates Holidays operates a fully-functional chatbot called Ami that allows users to create bookings, check the availability of reservations, reschedule or cancel their booking, and more. You simply type into the chatbot what you want to change regarding your booking, and Ami will take you to the appropriate page. 

Ami offers relevant chats to customers who are seeking help through its messaging platform. Responses are tailored to customers who want assistance, and the bot directs you to a human agent if an answer is unavailable. 

Opodo

Opodo offers a chatbot that allows passengers to add bookings, manage their existing bookings, check their flight status, check in online, and more. You can change your flight, name, and hotel, adjusting your bookings as you see fit. 

Freshchat chatbots for travel and hospitality

Businesses that invest in chatbot technology enable customers who are booking and managing their travel plans to have an easier and more convenient experience. Bots can offer instant and helpful support to customers who are looking to engage with your business. They provide great customer service and can help increase conversions by automatically upselling things like travel insurance, flight or room upgrades, and more. 

Use Freshchat to build your travel and hospitality chatbot. Freshchat enables you to create a chatbot that meets your customer’s needs and enhances the booking experience. Our unique features make it easy to create a chatbot that feels natural to your customers and will help improve the customer experience, boost your reputation, and grow your bottom line.