Perched on Lycabettus Hill in Athens’ upscale Kolonaki district, the Saint George Lycabettus Lifestyle Hotel has been a beacon of luxury and hospitality for over five decades. Renowned for its stunning views of the Acropolis and its award-winning rooftop, the hotel has earned accolades such as the Ecopolis Award and recognition as the “Best Rooftop View Hotel” at the World Luxury Hotel Awards.
In 2024, the hotel partnered with Quicktext to integrate Velma, the AI-powered Hotel virtual assistant, streamlining operations and elevating guest satisfaction. Eva Polichroni (The Revenue Manager) shares how this innovation aligns with the hotel’s tradition of excellence and forward-thinking service.
How did you integrate Velma into your hotel’s operations?
We introduced Velma early this year, starting with our main communication channels such as the website and most recently, WhatsApp. Velma helps us manage guest inquiries and bookings, ensuring that we can respond to our guests instantly, even during busy periods. One of the key features of Velma is its ability to handle special requests like booking details, room availability, amenities, and local recommendations.
Is Velma running according to plan?
Yes, it’s been working very well. We’ve been using it for several months now, and it has greatly enhanced the guest experience at our property. Velma not only saves time but also ensures that guests receive consistent and accurate information, creating a seamless experience across all communication channels. This has significantly reduced the workload on our front desk team, allowing them to focus on more complex guest needs. The 24/7 support has been a game-changer, improving both guest satisfaction and operational efficiency.
What about the support from the Quicktext team?
So far, we haven’t faced any significant issues with Velma, which has been great. The Quicktext team is very proactive in ensuring everything runs smoothly, regularly testing and refining the dialogue flows. Even though we haven’t had major problems, it’s reassuring to know they’re always available and ready to help if needed.
What is the ROI?
Since implementing Velma, we’ve seen a significant impact on operational efficiency and revenue generation. Quicktext’s interface makes monitoring booking requests and following up on non-confirmed ones easy. This proactive approach has allowed us to recover up to 20% of these requests, turning them into confirmed bookings. Velma has directly contributed to increased revenue and enhanced the overall guest booking experience by optimizing these follow-ups.
What would be your next AI-powered integration?
We are definitely looking forward to expanding Velma’s capabilities, especially through voice-powered features like Q-Phone. This would help us provide an even more seamless, hands-free experience for guests.
Overall Satisfaction
On a scale of 1 to 10, we rate our satisfaction with Velma at 9/10.
