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"We are in the middle of the AI era. Guests no longer search; they ask," says Olga Heuser, founder and CEO of DialogShift. "A recent survey from the US shows that 33 percent of travelers are more likely to book a hotel if it uses AI tools. Guests now expect fast answers and 24/7 availability more than ever."
Bookings via phone and chat
The DialogShift Booking Agent guides guests through the entire booking process, whether on the phone, via website chat, or through WhatsApp and Instagram messages. The AI knows availability, categories, and rates from Protel Cloud PMS, suggests suitable rooms and prices, and collects the guest's contact details for the booking. For regulatory reasons, AI systems are not permitted to process payment data. If prepayment is required, a payment link is automatically sent from Protel, or a trace is created (depending on the hotel's Protel Cloud version) so that the payment link can be sent to the guest. This means all rates can be sold via Phone AI and chat without any restrictions for the hotel. Hotels decide for themselves which rates are bookable via AI. They can directly enable the rates and room categories in DialogShift that they want their AI to sell over the phone and in chat.
Hotels determine which rates and categories the AI can offer, such as only specific room types or exclusively flexible rates. If multiple categories are available, the AI provides a selection based on the length of the conversation, taking into account what the guest previously asked about. For example, if a guest asks if there are rooms with a lake view, the AI agent will present exactly those categories, provided they are available, as it knows the guest is interested in them. In chat, all available rates and categories are always displayed as a carousel.
"DialogShift is an important AI partner for rebagdata. With over 40 years in the market, we understand the best-of-breed philosophy and look for partners who provide real added value for our customers," says Alexander Höfer of Rebag Data AG, Planet's exclusive distribution partner for Protel Cloud PMS in Switzerland. "Guest journey automation is a topic that has gained significant momentum in the hotel industry since the pandemic."
If a guest abandons a phone booking—for example, because an email address is difficult to dictate—they receive a recovery link via SMS or WhatsApp containing the booking details already captured, which they can use to complete the reservation. About half of all abandoned bookings are recovered this way. If a guest prefers to speak with a team member, the AI transfers them to the correct department with context and provides the staff member with a summary of the conversation so far. If no staff member is available, the AI records a callback request.
Journey messaging based on PMS events
The second part of the integration is journey messaging, which enables proactive guest communication based on triggers in Protel Cloud PMS. Hotels use this to send booking confirmations, online check-in reminders (including upsells like breakfast), or spontaneous messages to all guests on-site, such as an invitation to an evening barbecue. Message templates can be created with a preview, multi-stage reminder chains can be defined, and further automations can be linked via a Make integration.
Results from ongoing operations
DialogShift's Phone AI is already running in over 600 hotels in German-speaking countries, handling around 40,000 phone calls per week. Guest satisfaction with these conversations averages 93 percent. For hotel information and frequently asked questions, the AI resolves the inquiry almost entirely on its own; for bookings, the resolution rate is 65 to 80 percent, and for complex requests, it is 10 to 15 percent. Hotels save 2 to 5 hours of work per week while ensuring consistent availability across all relevant channels. Additionally, they can significantly increase their direct booking rate because their hotel AI enables 24/7 bookings in any language.
Data protection and language
The DialogShift AI platform is GDPR-compliant and meets the requirements of the EU AI Act. Data is deleted after a maximum of 90 days and processed exclusively on EU servers. For text-based communication, DialogShift supports over 100 languages, and around 30 for phone calls. If a guest calls with a Swiss or Bavarian area code, the AI recognizes the dialect and responds in standard German.
How hotels activate the integration
Existing customers with Protel Cloud PMS can request the Booking Agent and Journey Messaging integration directly from DialogShift. Hotels in Switzerland should contact their representative at Rebag Data AG. The Booking Agent and Journey Messaging are also available for other PMS systems.
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