Is ‘Voice’ in Travel All Talk? Volara CEO Speaks Out at Phocuswright Conference in Los Angeles

Los Angeles — November 12, 2018 — 2018 has been a big year for voice technology as smart speaker ownership surged in the U.S. and "Alexa for Hospitality" marked a rare travel-specific play by Amazon. At the 2018 Phocuswright Conference here, Volara CEO David Berger will answer the question: "Is Voice in Travel All Talk?" A serial entrepreneur, early Bitcoiner, global executive, and recovering lawyer, Berger will share his vision for context driven, identity optional, voice first, experiences across the travel journey.

Is voice better suited to shop and book or serve and assist? What are the biggest barriers to widespread use of voice technology in the travel industry? These are just a few of many questions be answered on Tuesday, November 13 at 5:00 p.m. in the Theatre, Platinum Ballroom at the JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE.

"As much of the travel technology world focuses its efforts on voice search - a slight improvement over traditional search media - and the delivery of voice content over popular smart speakers in the home, I will present a step change in the way travel providers think about engaging their customers," Berger said. "I will also discuss how to achieve the true promise of voice for leading travel brands - being welcomed into a frictionless, seamless, conversational experience with the traveler during their journey.

"We know that engaged travelers spend three times more than those that aren't engaged, yet travel providers often miss valuable touch points with their guests - ceding the guest experience to the apps on the traveler's mobile device," he said. "As travelers pass mindlessly through our airports, hotels, convention centers and other travel venues, how can voice technologies support and engage them in the experience of travel? Join me at 5 p.m. on November 13 to find out."

Volara provides platform agnostic voice-based conversation-management software and a secure integrations hub for existing hospitality technologies. Its software turns the major natural language processing platforms (such as Amazon Echo, Google Home and Alibaba Genie) into a business tool that drives more efficient customer service, influences buyers' behaviors, improves net promoter scores and helps hospitality providers understand travelers better. Volara is the only provider of voice-based solutions to the hospitality industry that has the Alexa for Business Service Delivery Designation from Amazon and is a launch partner of Alexa for Hospitality. It is the official and exclusive partner of Marriott for pilots of voice technologies.

About Uniguest

Uniguest is a global leader in providing connected technology solutions to enable those in hospitality, senior living, sports/stadiums, entertainment, retail, education, government, corporate, and enterprise to engage with their audience. Uniguest is highly focused on creating deep client relationships as shown by its most recent NPS (Net Promoter Score) score of 81. Uniguest supplies turnkey technology solutions that include digital signage, IPTV / enterprise video and engagement apps, professional services, system implementation, and 24/7/365 multi-lingual support. To learn more about Uniguest please visit www.uniguest.com and for the Uniguest partner program visit www.uniguest.com/channel-partners.