Hilton has announced an exclusive partnership with Be My Eyes to ensure guests who are blind or have low vision can have a seamless and accessible stay. The unfamiliar surroundings of the hotels can be challenging for guests with vision difficulties. Identifying this challenge, the exclusive partnership brings AI-powered virtual assistance and dedicated Hilton Reservations and Customer Care support for such guests across Hilton’s hotels in the U.S. and Canada.
The Be My Eyes app will connect blind or low vision guests with sighted volunteers and companies with the help of live video and AI and will directly connect Hilton guests with a team of trained English-speaking Hilton Reservations and Customer Care representatives.
Users of the Be My Eyes mobile app in the U.S. and Canada can use their smartphone to navigate the app’s ‘Service Directory,’ select the ‘Hotels’ category and choose the participating Hilton brand to get connected to a dedicated team. Hilton’s teams will help users navigate the hotel, including helping them identify and adjust the in-room thermostat, operate coffee machines inside the rooms, identify window coverings or navigate the property’s amenities and meeting spaces.
With Be My Eyes, Hilton is aiming to break down accessibility barriers in everyday life and help make travel and hospitality more inclusive, said Mike Buckley, CEO of Be My Eyes.
The virtual assistance can be accessed across several of Hilton’s brands, including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton and Hampton by Hilton.
“Hilton is committed to creating an experience that is welcoming for every guest, at every hotel, every time,” said Mike Gathright, senior vice president, customer excellence and innovation, Hilton. “We believe that every guest – regardless of ability or any other factor – deserves a reliable and friendly travel experience, and we are proud to partner with Be My Eyes to make that more of a reality for thousands of Be My Eyes users.”
Hilton first joined hands with Be My Eyes in 2023 to train and improve ‘Be My AI,’ an OpenAI GPT-4 language model that powers the Be My Eyes app, to improve its ability to recognize objects and navigate furniture and fixtures in Hilton hotel rooms. The partnership was extended earlier this year to add the development and training of a team of Hilton Reservations and Customer Care agents, who can support Be My Eyes users.
Besides leveraging Hilton’s Reservations and Customer Care team, guests can also use Hilton’s “straight-to-room” digital self-service tools that create a smooth experience from check-in to check-out. These tools enable guests to choose their own rooms, digitally check in and check out and use the Digital Key to open room doors with mobile phones.