Start with the front desk
List the ten questions your team answers most often. A guest messaging tool or AI concierge can be evaluated using those questions, including the awkward cases: late arrivals, accessibility needs and changes to a reservation.
Keep people in the loop
Agree on which conversations should reach a person. Ask vendors to demonstrate the handover, rather than relying on a feature checklist.
Measure a useful outcome
Record response time, the number of conversations escalated and the time your team spends correcting answers. For revenue tools, agree on pricing controls before testing recommendations.
A pilot brief your team can use
Write down the workflow, the person responsible and the boundaries before asking for a demonstration. For example: “Answer routine pre-arrival questions from our approved property information, and hand reservation changes to reception.” This is a testable job. “Improve our guest experience with AI” is harder to evaluate.
| Scenario | Expected behaviour | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Guest asks about breakfast hours | Uses the current property policy | Accuracy and response time |
| Guest asks for an unavailable room feature | Acknowledges uncertainty and offers staff help | Unsupported claims and handover quality |
| Guest wants to change a reservation | Stays within permitted actions | Approval and escalation behaviour |
| Staff update an arrival instruction | Uses the revised information | Update delay and maintenance effort |
Decide what counts as success
Compare the same set of routine and difficult questions before and during the pilot. Include the time spent correcting responses and maintaining source information. Choose your own acceptance thresholds; a vendor’s average result is not a baseline for your property.
Move from a pilot to a shortlist
Use the hotel AI buying guide to compare categories. Then shortlist guest messaging tools or AI concierges. Save candidates and use the comparison workspace to record which integrations and limitations need a vendor answer.