KT Corp., South Korea’s largest telecommunications company, has ushered in a new era in the hotel industry with its innovative artificial intelligence technology – its first artificial intelligence hotel – Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun. Opened on July 3 near Dongdaemun, Seoul, South Korea.
The company plans to build three more similar hotels in Seoul in partnership with major global hotel chains such as Accor, Hyatt and Marriott.
Choi Il-Sung, CEO of KT Estate, a real estate company owned by Korea Telecom, said: “We have integrated KT’s latest technology with luxury hotel services to create a hotel with an innovative concept. In our AI hotel, people can experience To new services that are not available at any other hotel in the world.”
This new AI service platform is called GiGA Genie Hotel and is a customized version of GiGA Genie. GiGA Genie is the world’s first AI home media center, developed by Korea Telecom in January 2017. This voice-controlled AI platform has more than 1 million users, displays instructions through touch-screen devices or ultra-high-definition TV screens, and currently recognizes Korean and English.
The AI hotel has 523 rooms, a rooftop swimming pool and multiple food and beverage outlets, including the all-day Food Exchange restaurant, Gourmet Bar lobby bar and The Social 21 poolside bar. The hotel is owned by KT Estate Inc. Accor Ambassador Korea will manage the hotel in accordance with AccorHotels’ global operating standards.
In order to diversify its future revenue portfolio, Korea Telecom also plans to promote its AI platform to other hotels such as Marriott. The first hotel to adopt the platform is L’Escape, a boutique hotel opened last month in central Seoul by South Korean retail group Shinsegae Inc. The Genie platform is also suitable for apartments, resorts and hospitals.
