Recently, a CEO from Delhi identified as Ananya Narang shared her experience of a unique check-in process at a hotel in Bengaluru. Ananya Narang, CEO of content-as-a-service tech company Entourage, was surprised after experiencing this unique and futuristic check-in at the hotel.
Instead of the usual desk staff, Narang encountered a virtual receptionist at the hotel and termed it as ‘Peak Bengaluru moment’.
When she entered the hotel, she realized that there were few staffs present in the hotel. She shared the picture of the virtual receptionist on her LinkedIn account and wrote, “Peak Bengaluru Moment – A Virtual Receptionist. Once I checked in, I realised the hotel had no staff expect 2 security guards and 1-2 technicians. Everything was coordinated via trained hospitality staff sitting at their head office simultaneously managing multiple properties. You’ll see this nowhere in India yet, except the Silicon Valley.”
Her post went viral and multiple users reacted to it. One of the users said, “Wow, that's amazing! I guess the hotel staff is now just a click away. Who needs a physical receptionist when you can have a virtual one? Welcome to the future of hospitality!”
Meanwhile another commented, “Now that's some interesting and futuristic progress!"
However, there were users who felt that human connection is an important component of hospitality. “Progress. But I feel, the in-person touch in hospitality will always be a little more special,” a user wrote.
One user wrote, “People need to understand that the most crucial component of hospitality is the human connection. This is an example of shoehorning technology in a way that's not a good fit.”
“This is zero hospitality,” a user commented. “This is interesting. Will be new normal but in-person thing is always special. You get to check the vibe and service priority,” another user wrote.
Ananya Narang founded Entourage around 1.5 years ago. Previously, she had worked in Mergers and Acquisitions at KPMG India. She has completed my graduation from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University. She was recognized at Foxstory 40 under 40. Also, she was awarded as India's Top 10 educational influencers by Unstop.