Challenge
The Chandler Hotel operates a fully remote, contactless property, which meant staff were constantly getting interrupted by repetitive guest questions and issues. The Chandler Hotel found it difficult to assist guests at scale with a smaller team. The challenge was clear: how to ensure guests always received fast, accurate responses while running lean operations.
Solution
Akia’s AI Agents now resolve 90% of guest inquiries automatically, taking the pressure off Chandler’s smaller remote team. Instead of staff being tied up answering repetitive questions about policies, amenities, or access codes, Agents provide immediate responses throughout the day.
Agents are trained with property-specific references and connect directly to Device Hub and Mini Apps to do more than answer questions. They also take action: if a guest has trouble accessing their room or needs a code, it'll troubleshoot the issue without staff involvement. Matt Chandler stated,
“We use it for upsells, Wi-Fi passwords, and access codes. Having the ability to get guests the information they need immediately is fantastic.”
How Matt started with AI Agents
Matt started with the questions guests asked most: policies, check-in and checkout instructions, amenities. He trained the Agent on how to answer them using ChatGPT, then built the references in Akia. That part was quick.
The Agent answers based on what each guest actually asks. Say a guest messages "I can't find my check-in message," it pulls the access code and check-in details for that exact reservation and sends them over. And the more guests asked, the more the Agent learned, so staff stopped answering the same questions over and over.
How are Agents handling their guest experience
Immediate device resolution
When guests lose or forget their key code, the AI instantly retrieves the correct code or issues a new one remotely. It provides instant access resolution for guests with forgotten or invalid codes, reducing lockouts and staff interruptions. Matt noted,
“If somebody asks, ‘What’s my key code? I can’t get in the door,’ it automatically tells them what their room is and what their key code is. I’m able to tie that through Device Hub.”
Automated upsells through Mini Apps
The Chandler Hotel sells its upsells through Mini Apps: early check-in, late checkout, celebration packages, gift shop items, minibar purchases. They're all listed on the website, but Matt found that most guests don't decide until the day they arrive.
That's the gap the Agent closes. It knows where each guest is in their stay and times the offer to match. Once a guest finishes check-in, the Agent follows up with the Mini Apps that fit that moment such as a celebration package, a minibar restock.
Paired with SiteMinder's website upsells, this drove an extra $20–$30K in revenue, and it's still climbing.
The freedom of a contactless property.
Akia’s AI Agents give The Chandler Hotel the ability to run fully remote operations. Instead of staff fielding every question or solving access issues, the AI steps in to respond directly to guests, resolve problems, and surface upsell opportunities at the right time.
“Being able to reduce staffing needs, streamline operations, and get your personal time back. That’s the biggest seller for me.”
