We’ve got some simple tips you can take to keep Amazon’s Alexa from eavesdropping into your conversations and potentially sharing them. USA TODAY
SAN FRANCISCO — Alexa, what time is checkout?
This summer, guests staying in some Marriott International hotel rooms will have access to a new virtual concierge. Amazon announced Tuesday the release of Alexa for Hospitality, a new version of the Amazon Echo smart speaker with Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant, specifically designed for hotels and other hospitality locations.
Each Alexa for Hospitality assistant is personalized for its specific location, so guests can ask Alexa to call the front desk, order room service, request a housekeeping visit or adjust in-room devices like lights, thermostats, blinds and TVs. Regular Alexa features will also be available. The Echo will automatically delete guests’ recording daily.
Marriott International is introducing the Alexa for Hospitality at select properties in Marriott Hotels, Westin Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, Aloft Hotels and Autograph Collection Hotels. Amazon is also distributing Alexa for Hospitality to RedAwning, a vacation rental company, and boutique lifestyle properties within the Two Roads Hospitality portfolio.
Alexa for Hospitality won’t be as personalized as your own Echo quite yet. Guests won’t be able to connect their personal Amazon accounts until a later date.
When they can, Amazon says, hotel guests will be able to link their Amazon account directly with the Echo in their room so they’ll be able to play their own music playlists or listen to books through Audible, the Amazon-owned audiobook service.
Amazon says once guests can link their Amazon accounts to their hotel room’s Echo, when they check out, so will their Amazon account. That way, the next guest in your room won’t be able to order groceries on your account after you leave.
The voice assistant is designed to only start recording snippets of conversations after it hears a wake word, usually “Alexa,” after which it sends those commands or queries to servers where an answer or response is crafted. But some users have been surprised by what Alexa has recorded when they don’t expect it, such as the Portland family whose conversation was sent to a family in their contact list. Putting an Echo in a shared public space may exacerbate those privacy worries.
More: 6 ways to keep Alexa from eavesdropping on you
Alexa for Hospitality will be available by invitation for hotels, vacation rentals and other hospitality locations, starting Tuesday.
Guests of Charlotte Marriott City Center and Marriott Irvine Spectrum will be some of the first to try out a curated list of the Alexa for Hospitality features.