Room Booking AI Assistant: How Thunai AI Scaled a Global Hotel Group's Direct Bookings

Client Overview

Our client is a major international hotel group known for its premium properties. They operate in highly competitive markets, managing dozens of locations worldwide.

Driving direct bookings through their website is a primary strategic goal. This allows them to avoid high OTA (Online Travel Agency) commission fees.

For this client, converting website visitors into confirmed guests is their most important digital metric.

The Challenges: A Leaky and Frustrating Booking Funnel

For our client, their direct booking channel was a source of major guest frustration and lost revenue. Guests visiting the website were met with a static booking engine that couldn't answer simple questions. This led to a high drop-off rate and flooded their reservation center with preventable, low-value calls.

Their existing systems were failing to convert high-intent visitors.

• Inability to Handle Custom Requests: The website's booking engine couldn't handle "human" requests. Guests looking for adjoining rooms, guaranteed early check-in, or specific room preferences were forced to call, often facing long hold times or inexperienced agents.
  
• High-Volume, Low-Value Calls: Over 50% of calls to their reservation line were simple, repetitive questions about rates, room types, pet policies, or amenities. This blocked their human agents from handling complex group bookings or high-value sales calls.
  
• High-Impact Booking Abandonment: A large percentage of revenue was lost when guests abandoned their carts at the final step. This was often due to a simple, unanswered question about parking fees, package details, or cancellation policies. There was no one to provide an instant, 24/7 answer.
  
• Inability to Scale: During flash sales or holiday promotions, the website would slow down and the phone lines would be completely jammed. Management had no way to service this surge in demand, leading to massive lost revenue, server strain, and guest frustration.

Thunai's Intelligent Solution: An AI-Based Reservations Expert

Thunai revolutionized the client's direct booking method by deploying its AI Booking Agent as the 24/7 digital-first front line. It was integrated directly with the hotel's Property Management System (PMS) and CRM, giving it real-time access to inventory and pricing

The AI agent was deployed on the website and could instantly answer over 90% of all incoming guest queries in natural language. Guests could ask, "What are your rates for next weekend?" or "Do you have any packages that include breakfast and spa access?" The AI provided real-time, accurate answers, deflecting thousands of calls from the front desk and saving over $110,000 in call center costs.

The agent was specifically trained to handle complex, high-value requests. It could confirm adjoining rooms by cross-referencing live inventory. More importantly, it was programmed to be an expert salesperson. When a guest booked a standard room, the AI would proactively upsell: "For just $30 more, you can add our full breakfast buffet and a 2 PM late checkout. Would you like to add that package?"

Beyond booking, Thunai's AI gave them unparalleled control over the guest journey:

• Proactive Booking Recovery: To combat cart abandonment, Thunai's AI was trained to detect signals of hesitation. If a guest paused on the payment page, the AI would proactively engage: "Hi! I see you're booking the Deluxe King. Did you have a quick question about our cancellation policy before you confirm?" This simple intervention saved thousands of bookings.
  
• Automated Follow-ups: For high-value guests who did abandon a booking, Thunai's agent, connected to the CRM, would trigger an automated, personalized follow-up via email or WhatsApp. This reminder, often with a small incentive, dramatically improved conversion rates and guest retention.

Conclusion

Thunai's AI-based system transformed the client's chaotic, leaky booking funnel into a highly efficient, automated revenue engine.

By providing instant, 24/7 answers and proactively upselling, the platform automated simple queries and secured complex sales. This not only saved the client $110,000 in operational costs but also drove a 35% increase in direct bookings and lowered cart abandonment by 25%, turning hesitant visitors into loyal, high-value guests.