ATLANTA, GA (Sept. 8, 2021) – Introducing artificial intelligence in a way that feels natural. IHG Hotels & Resorts – known for venerable brands like InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts and Hotel Indigo – has designed the hotel room of the future, partnering with Josh.ai to create a voice-controlled smart room at the Kimpton Rowan hotel in Palm Springs, CA.
IHG is the first global hotel company to deploy Josh.ai – which builds upon its award-winning presence in the world’s most advanced residential properties – and is the only AI on the market committed to privacy, data security, and natural interactions with connected living spaces. A 2021 report from Euromonitor found that consumers are actively seeking digital services and experiences, like Josh.ai, which empower users through inclusivity, improve their quality of life, and promote personalization and well-being.
The Josh.ai software features purpose-built natural language processing that understands multiple requests in one command; searches for specific music and video content through deep-linking; and leverages location and contextual awareness. Guests also have limitless capabilities at their fingertips through the intuitively designed Josh app.
Josh Micro includes built-in concierge responses as part of the hotel room of the future by IHG Hotels & Resorts and Josh.ai
Kimpton Rowan in Palm Springs is the pilot for the hotel room of the future by IHG Hotels & Resorts and Josh.ai
IHG Hotels & Resorts gives Kimpton Rowan guests unlimited control of the room through voice command and the Josh App
Ketra Lighting by Lutron allows IHG guests to set the perfect mood by adjusting color temperature
IHG guests can experience immersive and impeccable surround sound through Sonos speakers
“We are constantly exploring next-generation technology to give guests epic experiences as they return to our hotels,” said Brian McGuinness, SVP, Global Guest Experience Shared Services, IHG Hotels & Resorts. “Josh.ai has never been used in a hotel room before and we look forward to discovering how AI can be more widely adopted by our properties around the world. We take great pride in pushing ourselves when it comes to digital innovation in hospitality.”
A first for hotel guest rooms, each brand has been thoughtfully selected to promote well-being and performance, with a design aesthetic fitting of IHG’s Luxury & Lifestyle collection. The hotel room of the future explores the potential of guest interaction with their environment and employs connected devices that are borrowed from luxury smart homes across the globe, including:
“At Josh.ai we are hyper focused on delivering experiences that are simple, privacy-focused, and magical,” said Alex Capecelatro, CEO of Josh.ai. “Our partnership with IHG couldn’t be a better fit as we endeavor together to transform the hospitality experience with natural voice control of lighting, shades, music, TV, and more! For example, guests can give a command like, ‘set the lights to warm white, listen to Hotel California, watch the Golf Channel, and when is happy hour?’ and Josh.ai will handle the rest.”
To learn more about the hotel room of the future, please visit this interactive digital tour and Josh.ai.
About IHG Hotels & Resorts
IHG Hotels & Resorts [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global hospitality company, with a purpose to provide True Hospitality for Good.
With a family of 17 hotel brands and IHG Rewards, one of the world’s largest hotel loyalty programmes, IHG has nearly 6,000 open hotels in more than 100 countries, and a further 1,800 in the development pipeline.
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group’s holding company and is incorporated and registered in England and Wales. Approximately 350,000 people work across IHG’s hotels and corporate offices globally.
Visit us online for more about our hotels and reservations and IHG Rewards. For our latest news, visit our Newsroom and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
About Josh.ai
Josh.ai is a Denver based company with offices in Colorado and California. The company launched in 2015 and creates products and platforms that enable true natural interaction with technology in everyday life. With a focus on AI, machine learning, and design-first hardware, the mission at Josh.ai is to transform how we live in our environments. For more information, please visit Josh.ai or email [email protected].