If you've ever worked a hotel front desk, you know the feeling. It's 7 PM on a Friday. The phone is ringing off the hook, there’s a line of weary travelers at the counter, and someone just called down for the third time to ask what time breakfast starts. It’s chaos. It's an air traffic control tower for complaints, lost key cards, and questions about the Wi-Fi password. For years, we've just accepted this as the cost of doing business in hospitality.
But what if it didn't have to be that way? I've been keeping a close eye on the AI-in-hospitality space for a while now, and frankly, a lot of it feels like vaporware. Shiny promises with clunky execution. But every so often, a tool comes along that makes me sit up and pay attention. Recently, that tool has been Viqal. It’s an AI virtual concierge that operates entirely through WhatsApp, and it’s making some pretty bold claims. So, I decided to dig in and see if it’s the real deal.
So What Exactly is Viqal? (And Why Use WhatsApp?)
At its core, Viqal is a smart chatbot, a virtual assistant designed specifically for hotels, holiday parks, and even hostels. But here’s the kicker: it does all its magic through WhatsApp. No clunky, branded app that guests have to download and will immediately delete post-stay. Nope. It uses an app that billions of people already have on their phones. This, for me, is a game-changer. The friction is practically zero.
From the moment a guest books until long after they've checked out, Viqal is designed to be their go-to point of contact. It connects with your existing Property Management System (PMS) to automate the whole shebang. We’re talking automated responses to common questions, handling booking changes, and even collecting feedback. The goal is to free up your human staff from the repetitive grind so they can focus on, you know, actual hospitality.
Putting Viqal's Features Under the Microscope
A fancy concept is one thing, but execution is everything. Viqal's feature set is where it starts to get really interesting. It’s not just a simple Q&A bot.
Automating the Entire Guest Experience
Viqal breaks the guest's stay into automated stages. Before they even arrive, it can send a friendly welcome message, confirm details, and maybe offer an early check-in. During their stay, it becomes the 24/7 concierge. Need a new towel? Ask Viqal. Want to know the best local pizza joint? Ask Viqal. And because it's tied into your systems, it can handle a surprising amount of requests without any human intervention. Post-stay, it can send a thank you note and a link to leave a review. It’s a full-circle communication strategy that runs on autopilot.
The Upsell Engine You Didn't Know You Needed
This is the part that probably makes hotel managers' ears perk up. Viqal has an AI-powered upselling feature. But it’s not just blindly spamming offers. It can proactively message guests at just the right moment. Imagine a guest receiving a message on a rainy afternoon: "Looks like the weather's not great for the beach. How about a 20% discount on a spa treatment today?" It feels personal, timely, and a whole lot less awkward than an employee trying to push a sale at the check-in desk. This is smart revenue generation, plain and simple.
One Inbox to Rule Them All
Okay, so what happens when the AI gets stumped? All communications are centralized in a team inbox. If a guest asks something too complex, the AI can flag it for a human to take over. This hybrid approach is smart. You get the efficiency of automation with the safety net of human oversight. No more missed messages or frantic searching through different platforms. It creates a single source of truth for all guest communication, which is a godsend for any operations manager.
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The Real-World Impact on Your Bottom Line
The marketing copy for Viqal throws around a pretty staggering number: automating up to 90% of guest inquiries. Let that sink in. Think about what your front desk team could accomplish with 90% fewer repetitive phone calls and emails. They could create truly memorable moments for guests, handle complex issues with more care, and probably be a lot happier in their roles. Burnout at the front desk is real, and this seems like a direct answer to that problem.
"Less Work for Staff, Better Service for Guests." That’s one of their main taglines, and from my analysis, it’s not just fluff. It’s the core value proposition. Better service almost always leads to better reviews, more direct bookings, and increased guest loyalty.
Let's Talk Money. The Viqal Pricing Structure
Alright, no review is complete without looking at the price tag. I appreciate that Viqal is pretty transparent with their pricing, which isn’t always the case in the SaaS world. They have a per-room/per-bed model that scales with the size of your property. Here’s a quick breakdown:
| Property Type | Pricing (EUR) | Pricing (GBP) | Pricing (USD) | Minimum Spend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotels & Holiday Parks | €4 /room/month | £3.40 /room/month | $4.40 /room/month | €80 / £68 / $90 per month |
| Hostels & Campings | €2 /bed/unit/month | £1.70 /bed/unit/month | $2.20 /bed/unit/month | €80 / £68 / $90 per month |
One important thing to note: these prices include unlimited conversations and messages, which is great. However, you do have to account for the WhatsApp API usage fees, which are charged at cost price. This is standard for any business using the official WhatsApp Business API, so it's not a hidden Viqal fee, but it's something you absolutely need to factor into your budget.
The Other Side of the Coin. Potential Hurdles
Look, no tool is a magic wand. As excited as I am about Viqal, it's my job to be skeptical. The biggest hurdle I see is the initial setup. The system requires integration with your existing PMS, booking engine and other systems. This can sometimes be a technical headache, depending on how old or obscure your current tech stack is. The effectiveness of the whole thing also hinges on how well the AI is trained and set up. Garbage in, garbage out. You'll need to invest some time upfront to feed it the right information to ensure it's actually helpful and not just another frustrating chatbot experience.
Frequently Asked Questions about Viqal
- Do my guests really need to download another app?
- Absolutely not! That's the beauty of it. Viqal works entirely through WhatsApp, which most of your guests already have installed and use daily.
- How does the AI know the answers to my hotel's specific questions?
- During setup, you and the Viqal team train the AI on your hotel’s specific information. This includes everything from Wi-Fi passwords and restaurant hours to local recommendations and policies. It learns from your data.
- What is this 'WhatsApp API usage fee' you mentioned?
- WhatsApp (owned by Meta) charges businesses a small fee for conversations initiated through its Business API. Viqal passes this cost directly to you. It's typically a fraction of a cent per conversation, but it's an important operational cost to be aware of.
- Can Viqal handle multiple languages?
- Yes, a modern AI concierge is built to be multilingual. It can detect the guest's language and respond accordingly, which is a massive plus for properties with international clientele.
- What happens if the AI can't answer a question?
- The conversation is seamlessly handed over to a human agent in the centralized Team Inbox. The staff member can see the entire chat history and jump in to help, so the guest experience is never broken.
My Final Take on Viqal
So, is Viqal the future of hotel guest communication? I'm leaning towards a strong yes. It’s not just another piece of tech for tech's sake. It's a thoughtful solution to a long-standing, very human problem in the hospitality industry. By automating the mundane, it doesn't remove the human touch—it creates more time for it. It empowers staff, delights guests with instant service, and cleverly opens up new revenue streams.
If you're a hotelier who's tired of the front desk circus and looking for a smart, modern way to improve operations and guest satisfaction, I think you owe it to yourself to take a serious look at Viqal. It might just be the best hire you make all year—and it never calls in sick.
