Resources
Hotel AI glossary.
Plain definitions of the terms that come up when hotels evaluate AI for the front desk, reservations and guest service.
- AI receptionist (hotel)
- An AI receptionist answers a hotel's phone calls and messages automatically, around the clock. A hotel-grade AI receptionist does more than take a message: it checks live availability in the property management system (PMS), quotes rates, takes payment, makes the booking and confirms it to the guest. AI front desk for hotels
- AI operating layer for hotels
- One AI that sits across every guest channel (phone, WhatsApp, SMS), connects to the systems a hotel already runs (PMS, POS, CRM, payments) and routes work to the teams who act on it. It replaces a stack of single-purpose tools with one layer that completes the transaction and closes the loop. What is an AI operating layer?
- Voice AI agent
- Software that holds a natural spoken conversation on a phone call, understands what the caller wants and takes action through connected systems. In hotels, voice AI agents handle reservations, concierge questions, in-room dining orders and service requests. Best AI voice agents for hotels
- AI concierge
- An AI that handles guest requests during the stay: dining and local recommendations, in-room dining orders, housekeeping and maintenance requests, upgrades and add-ons, on the phone or messaging channels. AI concierge for hotels
- PMS (property management system)
- The hotel's core operating system for reservations, room inventory, rates, guest profiles and billing. Common examples include Oracle Opera, Mews, Cloudbeds, Apaleo and eZee. PMS integrations
- PMS write-back
- When an AI agent writes the result of a conversation, such as a new reservation, directly into the PMS instead of passing a note to staff. Write-back is what lets an AI complete a booking end to end without anyone re-keying it.
- Mid-call payment
- Collecting payment while the guest is still on the phone, usually by sending a secure payment link (for example via Stripe) by SMS or WhatsApp. The room is held as soon as the payment lands, so the booking is confirmed in one call.
- After-hours reservations
- Booking calls that arrive when the front desk is closed, understaffed or busy with guests in person. They are a common source of lost direct revenue, because callers who are not answered usually book elsewhere or through an OTA. Calculate what missed calls cost
- Direct booking
- A reservation made with the hotel itself (phone, website, WhatsApp, walk-in) rather than through an online travel agency. Direct bookings avoid OTA commission and give the hotel the guest relationship.
- OTA commission
- The fee an online travel agency (such as Booking.com or Expedia) charges the hotel on each reservation it delivers, typically a percentage of the booking value.
- ADR (average daily rate)
- Room revenue divided by the number of rooms sold over a period. It shows the average price paid per occupied room.
- RevPAR (revenue per available room)
- Room revenue divided by the number of rooms available over a period, or ADR multiplied by occupancy. It combines price and occupancy into one performance number.
- Average booking value
- The average total value of a reservation: the room rate multiplied by the typical length of stay, plus any add-ons. It is the number used to estimate what a missed booking call is worth.
- SIP trunk
- A connection that carries phone calls over the internet into a business phone system (PBX). Hotels can connect an AI agent to their existing PBX over SIP, so guests keep dialling the same number.
- Data processing agreement (DPA)
- A contract required under the GDPR when a supplier processes personal data on a company's behalf. It sets out what data is processed, where, for how long and under which safeguards. In German it is called an Auftragsverarbeitungsvertrag (AVV). HeyKoala for hotels in Europe
- Multilingual voice AI
- A voice agent that detects the caller's language and answers in it, switching mid-call if the guest does. For hotels this means one agent can serve domestic and international guests without separate lines or staff.