Hilton’s new partnership will help visually impaired travelers better experience hotels
Over the years, Hilton has doubled down on its commitment to making hotel stays more accessible for guests with various physical needs or limitations that can make traveling difficult.
Now, the company is unveiling a new partnership with Be My Eyes, a free mobile app that connects blind and low-vision users with volunteers, companies and artificial intelligence tools to navigate the world around them.
With this partnership, travelers who use Be My Eyes can be connected to AI-powered assistance and dedicated Hilton Reservations and Customer Care support teams specifically trained to help users during a hotel stay.
Using a smartphone, Be My Eyes users can select "Hotels" from the "Service Directory" within the app, find participating Hilton brands and be connected to a dedicated team member who can offer assistance with everything from changing the temperature in their room and using the coffee maker to navigating a hotel conference area and pursuing the menu at the lobby bar.
"Our mission at Be My Eyes is to break down accessibility barriers in everyday life," Mike Buckley, the CEO of Be My Eyes, said in a statement, "and this partnership with Hilton is a significant step along that path, helping travel and hospitality to be much more inclusive."
Last year, Hilton started working with Be My Eyes to help train the assistance company's "Be My AI" language model to "enhance its ability to recognize objects and navigate the furniture and fixtures found in Hilton brand hotel rooms," according to a statement. The partnership extended this year to develop and train Hilton Reservations and Customer Care agents to assist Be My Eyes users.
For Hilton, this partnership is just one of many ways the hotel experience can be adapted for guests with specific needs. Another tool Hilton says guests can take advantage of is the Hilton Honors app's "straight-to-room" self-service feature. It allows people with reservations at participating hotels the chance to choose a specific room, check in and out on the app and use the phone as a digital key.
"We believe that every guest — regardless of ability or any other factor — deserves a reliable and friendly travel experience," said Mike Gathright, Hilton's senior vice president of customer excellence and innovation, "and we are proud to partner with Be My Eyes to make that more of a reality for thousands of Be My Eyes users."
The Be My Eyes app can be downloaded via the App Store on iOS or Android.
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
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- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month