‘Bringing customers back to hotels during pandemic’ – Interview with James from Sofitel The Palm

Sofitel Dubai The Palm on their website, Google, and social media, launched Sofie, a virtual assistant powered by machine learning. We interviewed  James Karuga, Digital Marketing Manager at Sofitel Dubai The Palm, to discover more about this breakthrough. The responses are stated below.

TECHx: The pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of the hospitality industry. What technologies has Sofitel Dubai The Palm implemented to address the situation?

James: We developed a new website where individuals could buy and send electronically prepaid gift vouchers for different experiences around the resort at attractive prices. This allowed individuals who are overseas to send gifts to their families/friends living in Dubai in times where they couldn’t be together to celebrate a birthday or other special occasions. This website has sold vouchers worth over AED 2.1 million since it launched a year ago.

We also implemented Sofie a virtual assistant powered by machine learning technology to provide website visitors immediate assistance with information, reservations and support. While I observed a rise in online usage with customers in the region, I also saw an increase in our own website traffic and since we didn’t have as many resources as we used to before for answering customer enquiries, Sofie was able to handle about 85% of the frequently asked questions which allowed front line staff to dedicate their time and effort in other day to day operational tasks.

TECHx: How did Sofie, the virtual assistant, assist in generating leads and raising AED 3.3 million revenue for the property?

James: Sofie is designed to probe the website/social visitors and obtain the necessary information to qualify what service the visitors would benefit from. 30% of the total inquiries were for room bookings which Sofie handled by providing suitable room options with prices then directed the visitors to book on our website.

TECHx: Which popular technology, in your opinion, will attract customers back to hotels during the pandemic?

James: A mobile responsive website with a quick and easy user purchase journey as well as an effective social media content strategy. The first impression a customer has of a business is your website and social media page. If a website is not efficient, informative and easy to use, customers are less likely to convert.

TECHx: Expo 2020 is projected to draw a huge number of people from all around the world. How are you preparing?

James: As the number of new hotels in Dubai continue to grow, it’s become an integral part of my digital marketing strategy to maintain a robust online visibility ensuring travelers searching for hotels in Dubai are able to find our resort consistently on search engines, social media and other websites such as airlines and online travel agencies through targeted paid campaigns in our key source markets.