Program, information processing method, and information processing device
A program using a smart speaker in hotel rooms provides personalized product/service information based on guest attributes, addressing the limitations of existing systems by offering tailored recommendations and easy reservation services.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024153356
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2018-06-21
- Filing Date
- 2024-09-05
- Publication Date
- 2024-12-10
- Estimated Expiration
- 2038-09-25
AI Technical Summary
Existing communication systems, such as those described in Patent Document 1, fail to provide personalized responses based on the attributes of hotel guests, such as age, gender, and nationality, limiting the customization of product or service information.
A program that utilizes a smart speaker in a guest room to obtain voice requests, access guest information from a Property Management System (PMS), and provide personalized product or service information based on guest attributes, using a recommendation model to suggest facilities tailored to individual preferences and circumstances.
Enables the provision of customized product or service information to hotel guests, enhancing user experience by recommending facilities that match their attributes and preferences, similar to a veteran concierge, and facilitating easy reservation and guidance through natural language interaction.
Smart Images

Figure 2024170554000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a program, an information processing method, and an information processing device. [Background technology]
[0002] A communication system has been proposed that allows a conversation between a user and a robot in natural language. The robot has a microphone and a speaker. The robot can communicate with the user by acquiring the user's speech using the microphone and sending it to a server, acquiring a response from the server by referring to a conversation database, and outputting the response from the speaker (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-191531 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] Hotels and other accommodation facilities accept a variety of guests with different attributes such as age, sex, nationality, address, etc. In the communication system disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is not possible to determine the response content based on the attributes of each individual guest.
[0005] In one aspect, an object of the present invention is to provide a program or the like that outputs product / service information specified based on information about a guest. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] The program acquires a request based on voice data acquired in a guest room of the accommodation facility via a user interface, acquires guest service information related to the guest from guest services for which the guest staying in the guest room has authorized information sharing, identifies product / service information, which is information on products or services, based on the request and the guest service information, and causes a computer connected to the user interface to execute a process of outputting the product / service information. Effect of the Invention
[0007] In one aspect, a program or the like can be provided that outputs product / service information specified based on information about a guest. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the operation of the information processing system; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a record layout of a PMSDB. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a record layout of a speaker DB. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the record layout of an introducing facility DB. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overview of a recommendation model. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an overview of the operation of the information processing system. [Figure 8] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a process flow of a program. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing of a program according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a record layout of a guidance history DB. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a report screen. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing of a program according to a third embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an overview of a recommendation model according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing of a program according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a record layout of a user DB. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing of a program according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a record layout of an association information DB. [Figure 18] FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an overview of a recommendation model according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed by a smart speaker according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 20] 20 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing of a program according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of an information processing device according to a seventh embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an information processing system according to an eighth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0009] [Embodiment 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the operation of an information processing system 10. The information processing system 10 includes a smart speaker 20 arranged in a guest room of an accommodation facility such as a hotel. The smart speaker 20 has a substantially hemispherical shape, and has a circular touch panel 25 and a camera 28 on a flat surface. The smart speaker 20 is installed so that the touch panel 25 faces diagonally upward. The smart speaker 20 has a microphone 26 at the top of the spherical portion and a speaker 27 at the bottom of the spherical portion.
[0010] In the embodiment, the smart speaker 20 is used as the user interface, but the user interface is not limited to the smart speaker 20 as long as it can acquire information about the guest (user) and transmit the information to the guest. For example, it is also possible to use a smartphone or a PC equipped with a microphone and speaker function instead.
[0011] A guest makes a request, for example, "Tell me about a Japanese restaurant." The information processing system 10 extracts Japanese restaurants to introduce, i.e. recommend, to the guest based on the guest's attributes recorded in the PMS (Property Management System). The information processing system 10 speaks "Show three restaurants" from the speaker 27 and displays information on the first Japanese restaurant on the touch panel 25. Note that the content of the request is not limited to Japanese restaurants as long as it is related to a product or service, and the recommended information may also be information related to a product or service (product / service information).
[0012] The guest compares information on the three extracted restaurants by operating the touch panel 25. By tapping or other operations, the guest can display information such as a map of the restaurant's location and telephone number on the touch panel 25. Operation of the touch panel 25 is similar to that of an existing smartphone, and detailed explanation will be omitted.
[0013] Here is a brief explanation of PMS. A PMS is an accommodation facility management system that records guests' addresses, names, nationalities, payment methods, accompanying persons, and accommodation history. PMS used in luxury hotels and other accommodation facilities that provide services tailored to each individual customer also record information such as guest preferences, various anniversaries, and allergies. A PMS is introduced for each accommodation facility or chain, and is used to process reservations, check-in, check-out, payments, and other such processes.
[0014] By referring to the PMS, the information processing system 10 can present Japanese restaurants that suit the user's preferences and circumstances. For example, the information processing system 10 presents different Japanese restaurants when the user is with children and when the user is a couple. The information processing system 10 also presents different Japanese restaurants when the user is in his / her twenties and when the user is in his / her seventies.
[0015] 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the information processing system 10. In addition to the above-mentioned smart speaker 20, the information processing system 10 includes a management server 30, a voice response server 14, and a PMS server 15 (a network-connected PMS).
[0016] The smart speaker 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a main memory device 22, an auxiliary memory device 23, a communication unit 24, and a bus in addition to the above-mentioned touch panel 25, microphone 26, speaker 27, and camera 28. The CPU 21 is an arithmetic and control device that executes the program of this embodiment. One or more CPUs or a multi-core CPU or the like is used as the CPU 21. The CPU 21 is connected to each hardware unit constituting the smart speaker 20 via the bus.
[0017] The main memory device 22 is a storage device such as an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), a flash memory, etc. The main memory device 22 temporarily stores information required during processing performed by the CPU 21 and programs being executed by the CPU 21.
[0018] The auxiliary storage device 23 is a storage device such as an SRAM, a flash memory, a hard disk, etc. The auxiliary storage device 23 stores programs to be executed by the CPU 21 and various data required for executing the programs.
[0019] The communication unit 24 is an interface that performs data communication between the smart speaker 20 and a network. The touch panel 25 includes a display unit 251 such as a liquid crystal display panel, and an input unit 252 that is layered on the display unit 251.
[0020] Note that the shape of the smart speaker 20 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and the smart speaker 20 is not limited to a substantially hemispherical shape. The smart speaker 20 may have any shape, such as a columnar shape or a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The smart speaker 20 may be a general-purpose information processing device such as a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer. The smart speaker 20 may be configured by combining a general-purpose information processing device such as a personal computer with an external microphone, speaker, and camera.
[0021] The management server 30 includes a CPU 31, a main memory device 32, an auxiliary memory device 33, a communication unit 34, and a bus. The CPU 31 is an arithmetic and control device that executes the program of this embodiment. One or more CPUs or a multi-core CPU or the like is used as the CPU 31. The CPU 21 is connected to each hardware unit constituting the management server 30 via the bus.
[0022] The main memory device 32 is a storage device such as an SRAM, a DRAM, a flash memory, etc. The main memory device 32 temporarily stores information required during processing performed by the CPU 31 and programs being executed by the CPU 31.
[0023] The auxiliary storage device 33 is a storage device such as an SRAM, a flash memory, or a hard disk. A speaker DB (Database) 41, an introduced facility DB 42, a recommendation model 48, a program executed by the CPU 31, and various data required for executing the program are stored in the auxiliary storage device 33. The recommendation model 48 will be described later.
[0024] The speaker DB 41, the introducing facility DB 42, and the recommendation model 48 may be recorded in an external mass storage device connected to the management server 30, or in another server connected to the management server 30 via a network.
[0025] The communication unit 34 is an interface that performs data communication between the management server 30 and the network. The management server 30 is a general-purpose information processing device such as a personal computer or a server machine. The management server 30 may be a virtual machine that runs on a large computer. The management server 30 may be configured by combining multiple computers or server machines.
[0026] The voice response server 14 is an information processing device that acquires voice data from the smart speaker 20, performs processing such as voice recognition, and transmits the voice data related to the response to the smart speaker 20.
[0027] The PMS server 15 is an information processing device that manages the PMS. The voice response server 14 and the PMS server 15 are general-purpose information processing devices such as a personal computer or a server machine. The voice response server 14 and the PMS server 15 may be virtual machines that run on a large computer. The voice response server 14 and the PMS server 15 may be configured by combining multiple computers or server machines.
[0028] 3 is an explanatory diagram explaining the record layout of the PMSDB. The PMSDB is a DB that records information related to users staying at or making reservations at accommodation facilities, among the information recorded in the PMS server 15, in an associated manner. The PMSDB has a date field, an accommodation facility field, a guest field, and a status field. The accommodation facility field has a name field and a room number field.
[0029] The guest field includes a representative field, a number of accompanying persons field, a relationship field, and a special notes field. The representative field includes a name field, an age field, an address field, a gender field, and a nationality field.
[0030] The date field records the date. The name field records the name of the accommodation facility. The room number field records the room number of the guest room. The name field records the name of the representative. The age field records the age of the representative. The address field records the address of the representative. The gender field records the gender of the representative. The nationality field records the nationality of the representative.
[0031] The number of accompanying persons field records the number of guests accompanying the representative. The relationship field records the relationship between the representative and their accompanying persons. The special notes field records special notes regarding the guests. The status field records the status of the guests. The information recorded in each subfield of the guests field is an example of guest attributes related to the attributes of the guests.
[0032] The PMSDB has one record for each guest room. Data for each subfield in the guest field is obtained when the reservation is made, or is entered by the front desk clerk or other person at check-in. For guests who have stayed at the hotel in the past, data may be obtained from data recorded at those previous stays.
[0033] We will continue the explanation using the record for room 333 in Figure 3 as an example. The age, address, gender, and nationality of the representative, Mr. "Tanaka Ichiro," are recorded in each subfield of the representative field. "1" in the number of accompanying persons field indicates that a total of two people will be staying, the representative, Mr. "Tanaka Ichiro," and one accompanying person. "Couple" in the relationship field means that the two people staying in room 333 are a married couple. "Silver wedding anniversary" in the special notes field means that the couple staying in room 333 are celebrating their silver wedding anniversary. "Not yet arrived" in the status field means that they have not yet checked in.
[0034] We will continue the explanation using the record for room 334 in Figure 3 as an example. The age, address, gender, and nationality of the representative "Wang Min" are recorded in each subfield of the representative field. The "3" in the number of accompanying persons field indicates that a total of four people will be staying, consisting of the representative "Wang Min" and three accompanying persons. The "Family" in the relationship field means that the four people staying in room 334 are a family. The "2 infants" in the special notes field means that of the four people staying in room 334, two are infants. The "Checked in" in the status field means that check-in has already been completed.
[0035] 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a record layout of the speaker DB 41. The speaker DB 41 is a DB that records a speaker ID (identifier) uniquely assigned to the smart speaker 20 in association with an installation location. In the present embodiment, the speaker ID is used as a specific example for identifying the smart speaker 20, but the user interface identifier for identifying the user interface may be any information for identifying the user interface, such as the room number of the guest room in which the user interface is installed or an IP address assigned to the user interface.
[0036] The speaker DB41 has a speaker ID field and an installation location field. The installation location field has an accommodation facility name field and a room number field. The speaker ID field records a speaker ID. The accommodation facility name field records the name of the accommodation facility. The room number field records the room number of the guest room. The speaker DB41 has one record for each smart speaker 20.
[0037] 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a record layout of the introducing facility DB 42. The introducing facility DB 42 is a DB that records an introducing facility ID uniquely assigned to an introducing facility that an accommodation facility introduces to a guest, in association with detailed information.
[0038] The referring facility DB 42 has an accommodation facility name field, a referring facility ID field, a name field, and a facility details field. The facility details field has a type field, an accommodation facility field, a member field, a feature field, and a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) field.
[0039] The accommodation facility name field records the name of the accommodation facility. The referring facility ID field records the referring facility ID. The name field records the name of the referring facility. The type field records the type of facility. The within accommodation facility field records whether the facility is within the accommodation facility. That is, if the facility is within the accommodation facility, "YES" is recorded in the within accommodation facility field. If the facility is outside the accommodation facility, "NO" is recorded in the within accommodation facility field. A facility with "YES" recorded in the within accommodation facility field is an example of a facility located within an accommodation facility.
[0040] The member field records whether or not the user is a member of a specific group. For example, a group is a group of tourist facilities organized by a lodging facility, with "YES" indicating a facility that is a paid member and "NO" indicating any other facility. A group may also be a local tourist association or a local shopping district.
[0041] The feature field records the features of the facility, such as the languages that can be supported, the services that can be provided, etc. The URL field records the URL of a WEB (World Wide Web) site that displays advertisements and the like for the facility on the touch panel 25.
[0042] 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an overview of the recommendation model 48. The recommendation model 48 is a model that receives input data related to a user and outputs output data. The input data includes the user's attributes, the user's requests, and the user's feelings inferred by analyzing the user's voice, etc.
[0043] The user attributes include the items recorded in each subfield of the guest field described with reference to Fig. 3. The user attributes may also include check-in time, check-out time, reservation method, and accommodation fee payment method. The user request is a question item obtained by speech analysis of the user request, such as "Japanese restaurant," "convenience store," or "drug store."
[0044] The user's emotions may be, for example, "relaxed," "anger," "impatient," "hunger," or "unwell," etc. The user's emotions may be expressed using a combination ratio of multiple emotions, such as "80 percent anger, 20 percent hunger."
[0045] The input data may include weather and traffic information, etc. For example, when the weather is bad, the recommendation model 48 outputs output data with a low recommendation degree for facilities that are a long walking distance away. When trains are delayed, the recommendation model 48 outputs output data with a low recommendation degree for facilities where trains are used as a means of transportation. The input data may include the guest room environment, such as the room temperature, humidity, color and brightness of the lighting, and the volume of the television. For example, when the lighting in the guest room is dim, the recommendation model 48 outputs output data with a high recommendation degree for a bar with dimmed lights. The output data is the facility ID of the facility to be introduced to the user and a score indicating the magnitude of the recommendation degree.
[0046] The recommendation model 48 creates facilities that a veteran concierge would recommend for various input data by machine learning such as deep learning, based on training data collected by questionnaires to concierges, etc. The recommendation model 48 may be a program that codes a decision tree that determines the facilities to be recommended based on the input data.
[0047] A concrete example of collecting training data will be explained. Input data about a single user is shown to an experienced concierge. The concierge determines which facility to recommend to the user and responds. Here, the concierge may respond by naming only one facility to recommend, or may respond by ranking or scoring multiple facilities. The concierge's response is recorded in association with the input data, and is used as training data for machine learning.
[0048] Machine learning using the training data described above will now be described. The input data in the training data is used as explanatory variables, and the answer is used as the objective variable. When the explanatory variables are input to the neural network, the parameters of the neural network are adjusted so that the output of the neural network approaches the objective variable. As a result, a recommendation model 48 is created that, when input data is input, outputs an answer close to the judgment of a veteran concierge, i.e., a facility that would be desirable to introduce to the user related to the input data.
[0049] A specific example will be described using the record for room 334 in Figure 3. When "Wang Min", a family of four with two small children, or his companions ask about a restaurant to eat dinner at, the experienced concierge will recommend restaurants with private rooms or casual restaurants that are easy for small children to visit. Similarly, when "Wang Min" or his companions ask about sightseeing tours, the experienced concierge will recommend sightseeing tours that small children can enjoy.
[0050] If the same Mr. Wang Min and his wife were to stay overnight on their anniversary and ask about a restaurant to have dinner at, the veteran concierge would take into account the couple's preferences and recommend a restaurant suitable for an anniversary, such as a restaurant with a beautiful night view. If they asked about sightseeing tours, the veteran concierge would recommend sightseeing tours for adults.
[0051] Furthermore, if Wang Min is staying alone on a business trip and visits a restaurant for dinner, the veteran concierge will introduce him to a restaurant that suits his personal tastes.
[0052] As shown in the above example, even if the representative is the same, the veteran concierge will give different answers depending on the composition of the accompanying people. By training the training data created based on such answers of the veteran concierge, a recommendation model 48 that outputs appropriate answers that reflect the composition of the accompanying people is realized.
[0053] If the PMSDB records detailed information about the accompanying person, such as their name, age, address, sex, and nationality, the accompanying person's detailed information can be added to the training data. A recommendation model 48 that outputs more appropriate answers depending on the combination of the representative and the accompanying person is realized.
[0054] 7 is a sequence diagram showing an outline of the operation of the information processing system 10. A user inputs a request to the smart speaker 20 by voice in a natural language, for example, "Please tell me about a Japanese restaurant." The voice is acquired by the microphone 26 (step S501). The CPU 21 transmits voice data obtained by converting the acquired voice into an electrical signal, an image captured by the camera 28, and the speaker ID to the voice response server 14 (step S502).
[0055] The voice response server 14 performs voice recognition based on the voice data and converts the user's request into a character string (step S511). The voice response server 14 performs semantic analysis based on the converted character string and determines the meaning of the user's request (step S512). The voice response server 14 performs emotion analysis to estimate the user's emotion at the time of speaking based on the voice data (step S513). Since publicly known methods can be used for the voice recognition, semantic analysis, and emotion analysis, detailed explanations are omitted. Information such as tone and speed of voice may be used for the emotion analysis.
[0056] Based on the results of the semantic analysis and the emotion analysis, the voice response server 14 determines whether or not to make an inquiry to the management server 30 (step S514). For example, if the user requests general information such as a weather forecast or traffic information, the voice response server 14 determines that an inquiry to the management server 30 is not necessary.
[0057] When it is determined that an inquiry to the management server 30 is not necessary, the voice response server 14 collects information from WEB services and the like via the network, and creates voice data for a response to the user. The voice response server 14 transmits the voice data to the smart speaker 20, and a response is output by voice from the smart speaker 20. The process performed by the voice response server 14 when an inquiry to the management server 30 is not made is well known, and therefore detailed description will be omitted.
[0058] For example, when the user makes a request for a restaurant near the accommodation, the voice response server 14 determines that it is necessary to inquire the management server 30. The voice response server 14 transmits the request from the user and the user's emotion obtained by analyzing the voice data, the image captured by the camera 28, and the speaker ID to the management server 30 (step S521).
[0059] The following describes an overview of the processing performed when it is determined that an inquiry to the management server 30 is necessary. The processing enclosed by the dashed line will be described in detail later.
[0060] The CPU 31 sequentially searches the speaker DB 41 and the PMSDB based on the speaker ID to acquire the attributes of the user (step S522). When multiple people are staying in the same room, the CPU 31 determines the user who is the speaker based on the image captured by the camera .
[0061] The CPU 31 inputs the user's attributes, requests, and emotions into the recommendation model 48 described with reference to FIG. 6, and obtains the introducing facility IDs of facilities to be introduced to the user and their respective scores (step S523). The CPU 31 extracts a predetermined number of introducing facility IDs based on the scores, for example. It is desirable that the predetermined number is about three. If only one facility is introduced, the user is not given the joy of selection, and if too many facilities are introduced, the user feels burdened.
[0062] The CPU 31 searches the introducing facility DB 42 using the introducing facility ID as a key to extract records. The CPU 31 transmits information such as a URL related to the facility to be introduced to the user to the voice response server 14 (step S524). The information such as a URL related to the facility to be introduced to the user is an example of product / service information output by the CPU 31.
[0063] The CPU 31 may select an introducing facility ID for an introducing facility to be introduced to the user based on a predetermined condition from the introducing facility IDs acquired from the recommendation model 48. For example, if there is information on an introducing facility that is running a campaign that is not reflected in the recommendation model 48, the CPU 31 may preferentially introduce such a facility to the user.
[0064] The voice response server 14 creates a response in a natural voice based on the received information (step S531). The voice response server 14 transmits voice data related to the response and a URL related to the facility to be introduced to the smart speaker 20 (step S532).
[0065] CPU 21 displays an image on touch panel 25 based on the received URL and outputs sound from speaker 27 (step S533). The user operates touch panel 25 to compare information on a plurality of recommended facilities. Based on an instruction from the user, CPU 21 may perform processing such as reading out the information displayed on touch panel 25 and displaying a linked website.
[0066] 8 is a flow chart for explaining the flow of program processing. Using FIG. 8, the flow of processing performed by CPU 31 in the portion enclosed by the dashed line in FIG. 7 will be explained in more detail.
[0067] The CPU 31 receives the request from the user, the user's emotion, and the speaker ID transmitted by the voice response server 14 in the above-mentioned step S521 (step S551). The CPU 31 searches the speaker DB 41 using the received speaker ID as a key, and acquires the name of the accommodation facility where the smart speaker 20 is installed and the room number (step S552).
[0068] The CPU 31 transmits the name of the accommodation facility and the room number to the PMS server 15 to request the user's attributes (step S553). The CPU 31 receives the user's attributes from the PMS server 15 (step S554).
[0069] Based on the image data captured by camera 28, CPU 31 performs face recognition of the person captured, and estimates the age, sex, etc. CPU 31 determines the speaker's attributes based on the user attributes received in step S554 and the estimated age, sex, etc. (step S555).
[0070] A specific example will be given. If the guests are a married couple and the person speaking to the smart speaker 20 appears to be female, the CPU 31 determines that the speaker is female. If the representative registered in the PMSDB is male, the CPU 31 determines that the speaker is the representative's wife. If the guest is a single male, regardless of the appearance of the person speaking to the smart speaker 20, the CPU 31 determines that the speaker is male and is the representative registered in the PMSDB. The CPU 31 may determine the speaker's attributes by combining the image captured by the camera 28 and the voice quality of the voice acquired by the speaker 27.
[0071] The CPU 31 inputs the user request and emotion received in step S551 and the speaker attributes estimated in step S555 to the recommendation model 48 (step S556).
[0072] The CPU 31 acquires the introducing facility IDs and their respective scores output from the recommendation model 48 (step S557). The CPU 31 extracts a predetermined number of introducing facility IDs, for example, based on the scores. The CPU 31 searches the introducing facility DB 42 using the introducing facility IDs as a key to extract records. The CPU 31 transmits information such as URLs relating to the facilities to be introduced to the user to the voice response server 14 (step S558). The information such as URLs relating to the facilities to be introduced to the user is an example of product / service information output by the CPU 31.
[0073] According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an information processing system 10 that responds according to the attributes of a user using a guest room of an accommodation facility via a smart speaker 20 arranged in the guest room. By using the smart speaker 20, a user can easily request information using natural language. For example, even a user who is not good at operating information devices such as a smartphone or a personal computer can use it by voice without feeling any resistance.
[0074] By extracting facilities to be introduced to the user based on the recommendation model 48 and the recommended facility DB 42 prepared in advance by the accommodation facility, it is possible to provide the information processing system 10 that guides guests who are not familiar with the area to safe facilities.
[0075] According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an information processing system 10 that introduces facilities according to the user's attributes in the same way as a veteran concierge does, by using the recommendation model 48. According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an information processing system 10 that acquires the user's attributes from the PMS server 15, thereby saving the user the trouble of inputting preferences and constraint conditions by himself / herself.
[0076] For each response, the speaker's attributes are determined based on the information recorded in the PMS and the image captured by the camera 28, so that even if multiple guests are staying in the same room, it is possible to provide an information processing system 10 that responds according to the attributes of the user who made the request. Note that if the guest room is a single room, the CPU 31 associates the user's attributes received in step S554 with the room number and stores them in the auxiliary storage device 33, and thereafter steps S553 and S554 may be omitted until check-out time.
[0077] It is desirable that the voice response server 14 can process a plurality of languages. For example, when a user makes a request in Russian, a response in Russian can be provided so that Russian-speaking guests can easily obtain information. The voice response server 14 may automatically translate voice, for example, by linking with an external translation service via a network.
[0078] Furthermore, by adding that the user is a Russian speaker to the input data input to recommendation model 48 in step S556, CPU 31 can acquire information suitable for a Russian-speaking user in step S557. Furthermore, it is preferable to convert the characters in the image displayed on touch panel 25 into Russian using machine translation or the like.
[0079] By the above processing, it is possible to provide an information processing system 10 that can handle many foreign languages, not just major foreign languages such as English and Chinese. Foreign guests can easily obtain information in the language they are comfortable with.
[0080] The image captured by the camera 28 may be transmitted from the smart speaker 20 to the management server 30 without going through the voice response server 14. In this manner, the amount of communication traffic can be reduced.
[0081] The smart speaker 20 may not include the camera 28. Even in such a case, the CPU 31 can determine the speaker based on the user's voice quality in step S555. The smart speaker 20 may not include the display unit 251. In such a case, the smart speaker 20 provides information to the user by voice only and accepts operations by the user.
[0082] If there are no facilities that fully meet the user's requirements recorded in the facility introduction DB 42, or if the user wishes, the CPU 31 may extract facilities to be introduced to the user by a web search or the like, and output the facilities to the smart speaker 20. In this case, the CPU 31 may obtain information from, for example, an affiliated restaurant introduction site, and output the information to the smart speaker 20. The CPU 31 may output information about these facilities (for example, advertising information) to the smart speaker 20.
[0083] [Embodiment 2] This embodiment relates to an information processing system 10 that accepts reservations for introduced facilities. Explanations of parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted.
[0084] Fig. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing of the program according to the embodiment 2. The processing up to step S558 is the same as the processing flow of the embodiment 1 explained using Fig. 8, and therefore the explanation will be omitted.
[0085] The CPU 31 determines whether or not a reservation request for the introduced facility has been received from the user via the smart speaker 20 (step S561). The reservation request is received, for example, by selecting a reservation button displayed on the touch panel 25. The CPU 31 may also receive the reservation request by voice via the voice response server 14 and the smart speaker 20.
[0086] If it is determined that the reservation request has not been accepted (NO in step S561), the CPU 31 then ends the process. If it is determined that the reservation request has been accepted (YES in step S561), the CPU 31 determines whether the facility for which the user is requesting reservation is a facility that can be reserved online (step S562).
[0087] If it is determined that the facility is not available for online reservation (NO in step S562), CPU 31 notifies the staff of the accommodation facility that the guest is requesting a reservation and the name of the facility (step S571). The notification is displayed, for example, on the screen of a personal computer installed at the front desk. The staff of the accommodation facility performs so-called concierge services, such as making reservations for the facility on behalf of the user. CPU 31 then ends the process.
[0088] If it is determined that the facility can be reserved online (YES in step S562), the CPU 31 accepts detailed reservation information from the user via the smart speaker 20 (step S563). For example, the CPU 21 displays an input form on the touch panel 25 for accepting input of reservation time, number of people, etc., and accepts input from the user. The CPU 21 may also accept detailed reservation information by having a conversation with the user via a chatbot.
[0089] The CPU 31 transmits detailed information about the reservation to the facility or reservation site that is the subject of the reservation (step S564).The CPU 31 receives reception information such as a reservation number indicating that the reservation has been received (step S565).
[0090] The CPU 31 determines whether or not a deposit is required to be paid in advance (step S566). Information on whether or not a deposit is required is included in the reception information received in step S565, for example. Information on whether or not a deposit is required may be included in the introducing facility DB 42.
[0091] When it is determined that the advance payment of the reservation fee is not required (NO in step S566), the CPU 31 transmits reception information to the smart speaker 20 (step S567). The CPU 31 then ends the process.
[0092] The reception information is displayed on the touch panel 25 or output from the speaker 27. CPU 31 may obtain the user's email address or messenger ID in step S563 and output the reception information via email or messenger. CPU 31 may obtain the user's phone number in step S563 and output the reception information by SMS (Short Message Service).
[0093] When it is determined that a deposit is required to be paid in advance (YES in step S566), the CPU 31 transmits reception information and a payment request to the smart speaker 20 (step S568). The CPU 31 then ends the process.
[0094] The deposit is paid using a two-dimensional barcode obtained, for example, through an online payment company. CPU 31 displays the two-dimensional barcode on touch panel 25 based on the payment request sent in step S568. The user photographs the barcode with a smartphone or the like and performs a predetermined operation to make the payment.
[0095] Based on the payment request transmitted in step S568, CPU 31 may display on touch panel 25 a request to hold the two-dimensional barcode for payment over camera 28. CPU 31 transmits the two-dimensional barcode photographed by camera 28 to the online payment company, whereby payment is made.
[0096] The CPU 31 may output a payment screen of the credit card company and accept input from the user. The CPU 31 may output to the touch panel 25 a confirmation screen for payment of the reservation fee charged to the room.
[0097] If the deposit is not paid within a prescribed time, the facility that accepted the reservation will cancel the reservation or will contact the user through a staff member of the accommodation facility to confirm the details.
[0098] According to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide an information processing system 10 that allows a user to easily make a reservation for a facility introduced via a smart speaker 20. For example, even if the facility does not have an online reservation system, such as a local privately run store, a reservation service can be provided to the user by notifying the staff of the accommodation facility.
[0099] [Embodiment 3] This embodiment relates to an information processing system 10 that records the history of guidance to a user and calculates the introduction fee for the introduced facility and the cost (rebate, reward, remuneration, etc.; hereinafter, rebate will be explained as a specific example) to be paid to the accommodation facility that installs the smart speaker 20. Explanation of parts common to the second embodiment will be omitted.
[0100] 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the record layout of the guidance history DB. The guidance history DB is a DB recorded in the auxiliary storage device 33. The guidance history DB may be recorded in an external large-capacity storage device connected to the management server 30, or in another server connected to the management server 30 via a network.
[0101] The guidance history DB is a DB that records a speaker ID, guidance information output from the smart speaker 20 corresponding to the speaker ID, and whether or not the information was used by the user, in association with each other. The guidance history DB has a guidance ID field, a speaker ID field, and a usage record field. The usage record field has a date and time field, a introduced facility ID field, a reservation field, a coupon field, and a facility usage field. The reservation field has a reception field, a payment information field, and a reservation visit field. The coupon field has a coupon ID field and a usage field.
[0102] The guidance ID field records a guidance ID that is uniquely assigned to each guidance via the smart speaker 20. The speaker ID field records a speaker ID. The date and time field records the date and time when the CPU 31 transmitted information on the introducing facility to be introduced to the user in step S558 shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. The introducing facility ID field records an introducing facility ID.
[0103] The reception field records whether or not a reservation request has been received from a user. "Yes" means that the reservation request has been received, and "No" means that the reservation request has not been received. If a reservation request has been received from a user but the reservation has not been established, "No" is recorded in the reception field.
[0104] The payment information field records the payment information when a deposit is paid at the time of reservation. Payment information is, for example, information related to a credit card or an account number for an online payment service. "Charged to room" means that the user pays the fee together with the accommodation fee.
[0105] The reservation visit field records whether or not the user who made the reservation visited the store. "Yes" indicates that the user who made the reservation visited the store as scheduled. "-" indicates that the reservation was not accepted. If the user who made the reservation does not visit the store, "cancelled without permission" is recorded in the reservation visit field. The information recorded in the reservation visit field is an example of the user's usage history related to the reservation.
[0106] The coupon ID field records a coupon ID that is uniquely assigned to a coupon issued when the user is guided to a facility. The coupon is displayed on the touch panel 25 in the form of, for example, a two-dimensional barcode that includes information related to the coupon ID. The user can obtain the displayed coupon by photographing the two-dimensional barcode with a smartphone or the like.
[0107] The coupon may be output by a printer installed in the guest room. The coupon may be output by a printer installed at the front desk and handed over by a staff member at the front desk when the user goes out. The usage field records whether or not the issued coupon has been used.
[0108] The facility usage field records whether or not the user used the facility. "Yes" means that the user used the facility, "No" means that the user did not use the facility, and "Unknown" means that it is not possible to determine whether or not the facility was used. For example, if a user actually goes to a facility that he or she has reserved, "Yes" is recorded based on a contact from the facility. When a reservation is accepted, "Yes" is automatically recorded, and it may be changed to "No" when an inquiry is received from the facility that the user will not be coming.
[0109] Even if an issued coupon is used, "Yes" is recorded in the facility usage field based on communication from the facility or coupon management company, etc. Systems that issue coupons using two-dimensional barcodes and obtain usage status based on smartphone operations are publicly known, so detailed explanations will be omitted.
[0110] If no reservation or coupon has been made, it is not possible to determine whether the user has used the facility, and therefore "unknown" is recorded in the facility usage field. A questionnaire may be conducted for the user, and "yes" or "no" may be recorded in the facility usage field based on the results of the questionnaire. "yes" or "no" may also be recorded in the facility usage field by the front desk staff member based on a casual conversation with the front desk staff member when the user returns to the accommodation facility.
[0111] The information recorded in each subfield of the usage history field is an example of information related to the usage history of the information processing system 10.
[0112] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a report screen. FIG. 11 is an example of a report based on the guidance history DB explained using FIG. 10. The horizontal axis indicates the month, and the vertical axis indicates the difference in the number of reservations against the target number. The report shown in FIG. 11 is an example. A user can create a report including desired graphs using, for example, general-purpose spreadsheet software. Software that automatically creates reports according to a predetermined format may also be used.
[0113] For example, guest attributes can be obtained based on the speaker ID recorded in the speaker ID field of the guidance history DB, and a report can be created that is categorized by attributes such as the guest's age, nationality, or number of accompanying persons.
[0114] Fig. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing of a program according to embodiment 3. The program shown in Fig. 12 is executed at a predetermined point calculation interval, such as once a month.
[0115] The CPU 31 performs initialization to set the recommended facility points and accommodation facility points to an initial value of zero (step S601). The CPU 31 acquires one history record from the history DB (step S602). Here, the CPU 31 acquires a record in which a date and time within a predetermined point calculation period is recorded in the date and time field.
[0116] The CPU 31 searches the introducing facility DB 42 using the introducing facility ID recorded in the introducing facility ID field of the history record as a key, and determines whether or not the user is a member by referring to the member field of the extracted record (step S603).
[0117] If it is determined that the user is a member (YES in step S603), the CPU 31 calculates points for the record acquired in step S602 (step S604). Points are calculated by allocating points to each item, for example, 1 point for displaying on the touch panel 25, 1 point for issuing a coupon, 1 point for using a coupon, 3 points for accepting a reservation request, 2 points for advance payment, and so on.
[0118] The CPU 31 adds the calculated points to the introducing facility points for the introducing facility corresponding to the introducing facility ID field of the history record acquired in step S602 (step S605).
[0119] The CPU 31 searches the speaker DB 41 using the speaker ID recorded in the speaker ID field of the record acquired in step S602 as a key to extract the record, and extracts the accommodation facility name recorded in the accommodation facility name field (step S606). The CPU 31 adds accommodation facility points to the accommodation facility points associated with the extracted accommodation facility name (step S607).
[0120] The accommodation points are determined as a fixed rate, for example, 10% of the points calculated in step S604. The accommodation points may be determined by any other function or constant. The accommodation points may be calculated for each individual accommodation facility, or may be calculated for any group, such as a chain of accommodation facilities.
[0121] The CPU 31 determines whether the processing of the history record has been completed (step S608). If it determines that the processing of the history record corresponding to the predetermined point calculation cycle has not been completed (NO in step S608), or if it determines that the user is not a member (NO in step S603), the CPU 31 returns to step S602.
[0122] When it is determined that the processing of the history record corresponding to the predetermined point calculation cycle has ended (YES in step S608), the CPU 31 calculates the fee to be charged to each introducing facility based on the introducing facility points (step S611). The fee is determined, for example, such that 1 point = 1 yen. The fee may be determined based on any rule, such as a predetermined fixed amount when a predetermined point is exceeded, or free up to a predetermined point.
[0123] The commission is an example of a fee paid by a facility introduced to a guest via the information processing system 10. The fee is not limited to a commission. For example, it may be a system usage fee, a system management fee, or an introduction fee.
[0124] The CPU 31 transmits billing information for each introduction facility (step S612). The billing information may be transmitted, for example, to a person in charge of each introduction facility, or the billing amount may be transmitted to a settlement company such as a credit card company. The CPU 31 may transmit the billing information to a management staff of the information processing system 10, and the management staff may issue and send the bill.
[0125] The CPU 31 calculates a rebate to be paid to each accommodation facility that has installed a smart speaker 20 in its guest room based on the accommodation facility points (step S613). The rebate is determined, for example, such that 1 point = 0.01 yen. The rebate may be determined based on any rule, such as increasing the amount per point when a certain number of points is exceeded, or setting the amount to zero when the certain number of points is not reached.
[0126] The CPU 31 performs a rebate remittance process (step S614). The remittance process is, for example, a remittance instruction to a predetermined financial institution. The CPU 31 may transmit remittance information to a management staff of the information processing system 10, and the management staff may carry out the rebate remittance procedure. Thereafter, the CPU 31 ends the process.
[0127] According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an information processing system 10 that automatically calculates and bills the fee to be charged to the referred facility according to the number of referrals, etc. According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an information processing system 10 that automatically calculates the rebate for the accommodation facility that installs the smart speaker 20 and performs payment processing.
[0128] The content of the guidance recorded in the guidance history DB, the attributes of the user who output the guidance, and the user's use or non-use may be used as training data to perform machine learning and update the recommendation model 48. By appropriately updating the recommendation model 48, it is possible to provide an information processing system 10 that can respond to changes in fashion and the like.
[0129] [Embodiment 4] This embodiment relates to an information processing system 10 that controls the environment in a guest room based on the voice acquired from a smart speaker 20 and the attributes of a guest. Descriptions of parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted.
[0130] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an overview of the recommendation model 48 of the fourth embodiment. The input data includes the user's attributes, the user's instructions, and the user's emotions inferred by analyzing the user's voice. The input data may include weather and traffic information. The output data includes the guest room environment, such as the room temperature, humidity, color and brightness of the lighting, and the volume of the television. In this embodiment, these environments are controlled based on instructions from the CPU 21 or CPU 31.
[0131] Fig. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing of the program according to embodiment 4. The program shown in Fig. 14 is executed for each guest room when check-in of a guest is accepted.
[0132] The CPU 31 transmits the name of the accommodation facility and the room number to the PMS server 15 to request the user's attributes (step S621). The CPU 31 receives the user's attributes from the PMS server 15 (step S622).
[0133] The CPU 31 determines the number of guests who have entered the guest room based on the attributes of the user and the image data captured by the camera 28 (step S623). The CPU 31 may determine the number of guests based on the output of a human sensor or the like installed on the door of the guest room.
[0134] The CPU 31 estimates the attributes of each user in the guest room based on the user attributes, the number of users, and image data captured by the camera 28 (step S624). The CPU 31 inputs the attributes of one user estimated in step S624 to the recommendation model 48 (step S625). When the CPU 31 acquires user instructions and emotions via the smart speaker 20 and the voice response server 14, the CPU 31 also inputs this information to the recommendation model 48.
[0135] The CPU 31 acquires the recommended environment output from the recommendation model 48 (step S626). The CPU 31 determines whether or not the processing of all guests in the room is completed (step S627). If it is determined that the processing is not completed (NO in step S627), the CPU 31 returns to step S625.
[0136] If it is determined that the process has ended (YES in step S627), CPU 31 determines the recommended environment for the guest room (step S628). For example, CPU 31 determines the recommended environment by averaging the recommended environments for each of a plurality of users. CPU 31 may determine the recommended environment for a specific user, such as an infant, as the recommended environment for the guest room. CPU 31 controls equipment such as an air conditioner in the guest room to adjust the state of the guest room to the recommended environment (step S629).
[0137] The CPU 31 determines whether or not an environmental setting change has been received from the user via the smart speaker 20 and the voice response server 14 (step S631). If it is determined that a change has been received (YES in step S631), the CPU 31 changes the environmental setting based on an instruction from the user. The CPU 31 records the received instruction in the auxiliary storage device 33 (step S632). The CPU 31 returns to step S629.
[0138] If it is determined that the change has not been accepted (NO in step S631), the CPU 31 determines whether or not to end the process (step S633). For example, if a check-out has been accepted, the CPU 31 determines that the process is to be ended. If it is determined that the process is to be ended (YES in step S633), the CPU 31 ends the process.
[0139] When it is determined not to end the process (NO in step S633), the CPU 31 determines whether or not there is entry or exit to the guest room (step S634). The presence or absence of entry or exit is determined based on the image captured by the camera 28 and the sound acquired by the speaker 27. The CPU 31 may also determine the presence or absence of entry or exit based on the output of a human presence sensor or the like installed on the door or the like of the guest room.
[0140] If it is determined that there has been no entry or exit (NO in step S634), the CPU 31 returns to step S631. If it is determined that there has been entry or exit (YES in step S634), the CPU 31 returns to step S623.
[0141] According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an information processing system 10 that automatically controls the guest room environment according to the attributes of the guest. For example, when a guest from a country that prefers strong air conditioning checks in, the CPU 31 quickly increases the strength of the air conditioning. This allows the guest room environment to be set to a state that suits the guest's preferences by utilizing the time until the guest arrives in the room.
[0142] [Embodiment 5] This embodiment relates to an information processing system 10 that can be used in places other than guest rooms, such as the front desk of an accommodation facility. Description of parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted.
[0143] 15 is an explanatory diagram explaining the record layout of the user DB. The user DB is a DB recorded in the auxiliary storage device 33. The user DB may be recorded in an external mass storage device connected to the management server 30, or in another server connected to the management server 30 via a network.
[0144] The user DB is a DB that records a user ID uniquely assigned to each user, basic information, accommodation information, biometric authentication data, and user preferences in association with each other. The user DB records information on users who have stayed at the accommodation facility in the past, as well as information on users who have stayed at the accommodation facility in the past.
[0145] The user DB has a user ID field, a basic information field, an accommodation information field, a biometric authentication data field, and a preference field. The basic information field has subfields such as a name field and an age field. The accommodation information field has a room number field. In the case where a common user DB is used by an accommodation chain that includes many accommodation facilities, the accommodation information field includes an accommodation facility name field.
[0146] The biometric data field includes a face recognition field and a voice print recognition field. The biometric fields may further include an iris recognition field, a fingerprint recognition field, etc. The preference fields include a like field and a dislike field.
[0147] The user ID field records a user ID that is uniquely assigned to the user. Each subfield in the basic information field records basic information about the user, such as the user's name and age. The room number field records the room number in which the user is staying. For users who are not staying at the hotel, "none" is recorded in the room number field.
[0148] The face authentication field stores face authentication data used to identify a user based on an image captured by the camera 28. The voice print authentication field stores voice authentication data used to identify a user based on a voice captured by the microphone 26.
[0149] The likes field records things that the user likes, obtained from questionnaires given to the user and past requests of the user, etc. The dislikes field records things that the user dislikes, obtained from questionnaires given to the user and past requests of the user, etc.
[0150] Fig. 16 is a flow chart for explaining the flow of processing of the program of the fifth embodiment. Note that in Fig. 16, the processing performed by the voice response server 14 is omitted. The CPU 21 detects the approach of a user from an image captured by the camera 28 (step S641). The CPU 21 transmits the image captured by the camera 28 to the management server 30 (step S642).
[0151] The CPU 31 receives an image (step S701). The CPU 31 detects the user's face included in the image. The CPU 31 performs face authentication based on the detected face and face authentication information recorded in the face authentication field of the user DB (step S702).
[0152] The CPU 31 outputs a greeting such as "Hello. Is there anywhere you'd like to go?" from the microphone 26 (step S643). The CPU 31 acquires the voice spoken by the user (step S644). The CPU 31 transmits the voice data to the management server 30 via the voice response server 14 (step S645).
[0153] The CPU 31 receives the voice data and the user's request and emotion analyzed by the voice response server 14 (step S703). The CPU 31 performs voiceprint authentication based on the voice data and the voiceprint authentication information recorded in the voice authentication field of the user DB (step S704).
[0154] CPU 31 determines whether the user can be identified based on the face authentication performed in step S702 and the voiceprint authentication performed in step S704 (step S705). For example, if the results of face authentication and voiceprint authentication match, CPU 31 determines that the user can be identified. If either face authentication or voiceprint authentication is successful with high accuracy, CPU 31 also determines that the user can be identified.
[0155] CPU 31 may obtain the room number from the room key held up by the user over camera 28. In this case, CPU 31 can identify the room number in which the user is staying without using the user DB. CPU 31 may determine whether the room number obtained from the room key matches the results of face authentication or voiceprint authentication of the user. If they do not match, there is a possibility that a suspicious person is in possession of the room key, and CPU 31 notifies the staff of the accommodation facility.
[0156] If it is determined that the user has been successfully identified (YES in step S705), the CPU 31 acquires attributes not recorded in the user DB, such as whether the user is accompanied by anyone, from the PMS server 15 based on the room number recorded in the room number field of the user DB (step S706). The CPU 31 inputs the user's request and emotion received in step S703, the information recorded in the basic information field of the user DB, and the user attributes acquired in step S706 to the recommendation model 48 (step S707). The CPU 31 acquires the recommended facility ID and score output from the recommendation model 48 (step S708).
[0157] If it is determined that the user has not been successfully identified (NO in step S705), the CPU 31 acquires a predetermined facility corresponding to the request received in step S703 (step S711). After completing step S708 or step S711, the CPU 31 transmits information such as a URL of the facility to be introduced to the user to the smart speaker 20 via the voice response server 14 (step S721).
[0158] The CPU 21 outputs the voice related to the guidance from the speaker 27 and displays the image on the touch panel 25 (step S646). After that, the CPU 21 ends the process. If the user remains within the range detected by the smart speaker 20, the program described with reference to FIG. 16 is executed again.
[0159] According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide the information processing system 10 that responds appropriately to the attributes of users who are outside the guest rooms. By using the basic information field provided in the user DB, it is possible to provide the information processing system 10 that responds appropriately to the attributes of users who use facilities such as restaurants but do not stay overnight and are therefore not recorded in the PMS.
[0160] Since the user is identified using face authentication and voiceprint authentication, it is possible to provide the information processing system 10 that does not make the user aware of personal authentication.
[0161] The information processing system 10 may be used, for example, to recommend dishes, wines, etc. to a user in a restaurant of an accommodation facility. In this case, the recommendation model 48 outputs dishes, wines, etc. that can be served at the restaurant.
[0162] The information processing system 10 may provide information to the user via a smart speaker 20 installed in the user's home, workplace, school, public institution, etc. The information processing system 10 can provide continuous services to the user who is recorded in the user DB by using an accommodation facility, etc.
[0163] [Embodiment 6] This embodiment relates to an information processing system 10 that uses guest service information, which is information on services used by a guest, acquired from a guest service, which is a service used by the guest, for selecting facilities to be introduced. Explanations of parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted.
[0164] The services available to guests that are linked to the information processing system 10 of this embodiment include, for example, EC (Electronic Commerce) services, restaurant-related services for making reservations, searching for, or introducing restaurants, travel-related services for making reservations, searching for, or introducing travel, points-granting services that can be used for discounts on products, etc. (for example, T-Point (registered trademark) operated by T-Point Japan Co., Ltd.), and SNS (Social Networking Services).
[0165] The guest service server that processes or stores information related to the guest service provides the guest service information to the management server. The guest service server may provide the guest service information to the management server in the following manner, for example.
[0166] First, the hotel guest service server issues an account to each user of the hotel guest service, and the user uses that account to request approval from the hotel guest service server to provide hotel guest service information to the management server. The hotel guest service server approves the request and provides the hotel guest service information to the management server for that user.
[0167] 17 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the record layout of the association information DB. The association information DB is a DB recorded in the auxiliary storage device 33. The association information DB may be recorded in an external mass storage device connected to the management server 30, or in another server connected to the management server 30 via a network.
[0168] The link information DB is a DB that records, in association with each other, a user ID uniquely assigned to each user, basic information, accommodation information, and link information such as an account used when linking with the accommodation guest service server. The link information DB records information on users who have stayed at the accommodation facility in the past, as well as information on users who have used the accommodation facility in the past.
[0169] The linkage information DB has a user ID field, a basic information field, an accommodation information field, and a linkage information field. The basic information field has subfields such as a name field and an age field. The accommodation information field has a room number field. In addition, when a common user DB is used by an accommodation chain that includes many accommodation facilities, the accommodation information field includes an accommodation facility name field.
[0170] The link information field has subfields related to guest services linked to the information processing system 10 of this embodiment, such as an A service field, a B service field, and a C service field. The number of subfields in the link information field is determined by the number of guest services linked to the information processing system 10, and may have two or less subfields or four or more subfields.
[0171] The user ID field records a user ID that is uniquely assigned to the user. Each subfield in the basic information field records basic information about the user, such as the user's name and age. The room number field records the room number in which the user is staying.
[0172] The A service field to the C service field record linkage information such as accounts used when the user uses the A service to the C service. Linkage information is recorded when permission to link with the hotel guest service server is obtained from the user. "None" indicates that the user has not permitted linkage between the information processing system 10 and the hotel guest service server.
[0173] The linkage information DB is recorded in the auxiliary storage device 33, an external large-capacity storage device connected to the management server 30, or another server connected to the management server 30 via a network. Although not shown, the linkage information DB may record guest service information provided from a guest service server.
[0174] FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an overview of the recommendation model 48 of the sixth embodiment. The input data is external information such as user attributes, user requests, user emotions, and guest service information provided by each guest service server. Specific examples of guest service information will be described. The EC service server provides product purchase history, product browsing history, product review history, or user preferences based on these histories. The restaurant-related service provides the user's restaurant reservation history, the user's restaurant browsing history, restaurant food and drink ordering history, restaurant review history, or user preferences based on these histories.
[0175] The server for the travel-related service provides the user's travel history (including a history of countries and tourist spots visited), hotel accommodation history, or the user's preferences based on these histories. The server for the service providing points that can be used for discounts on products, etc. provides the history of products, etc. purchased when the user requests points to be provided, the history of products, etc. purchased by the user using points, or the user's preferences based on these histories. The SNS server provides the user's posting history, friendship history, or the user's preferences based on these histories. It is preferable that the guest service information provided by the guest service server includes information recorded in the PMS server 15 and information that is not recorded in the auxiliary storage device 33 of the management server 30.
[0176] Fig. 19 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a screen displayed by the smart speaker 20 of the sixth embodiment. Fig. 19 shows an example of a so-called welcome screen that is displayed first when a guest enters a guest room. When the check-in of the guest is accepted, the front desk staff transmits a user ID to the smart speaker 20 in the room where the guest is staying via the network and instructs the smart speaker 20 to display the welcome screen.
[0177] The CPU 21 acquires an association corresponding to the user ID of the guest from the association information DB. The CPU 21 displays a welcome screen. The welcome screen displays an associated button 51 corresponding to a guest service for which the guest has already approved the association, and an unassociated button 52 corresponding to a guest service for which the guest can approve the association.
[0178] When the guest taps the linked button 51 or the unlinked button 52, the CPU 21 displays the website of the guest service on the display unit 251. The guest can perform operations such as using the guest service, approving the link, and canceling the link. Based on the guest's operation and the guest service server's response to the operation, the link information field in the link information DB is updated.
[0179] Fig. 20 is a flowchart for explaining the process flow of the program of the embodiment 6. The program shown in Fig. 20 is a program executed in place of the program explained using Fig. 8. The process up to step S555 is the same as the process flow of the program explained using Fig. 8, so the explanation will be omitted.
[0180] The CPU 31 determines whether or not to use linkage with the hotel guest service (step S580). Specifically, the CPU 31 searches the linkage information DB using the room number acquired in step S552 as a key, and extracts records related to the hotel guest in that room. The CPU 31 extracts linkage information related to the hotel guest service based on the basic information field of the extracted record and the speaker attribute determined in step S555. If linkage information is not recorded for any of the hotel guest services that can be linked, the CPU 31 determines not to use linkage. When it is determined that cooperation is not to be used (NO in step S580), the CPU 31 inputs the user request and emotion received in step S551 and the speaker attribute estimated in step S555 to the recommendation model 48 (step S583).
[0181] If it is determined that the link is to be used (YES in step S580), the CPU 31 sends the user's account to a guest service server that processes or stores information about the linked guest service (step S581). If a plurality of guest services are to be used, the CPU 31 sends each account to a guest service server related to each guest service. If the guest service server is capable of providing guest service information based on the user's request, the CPU 31 also sends the user's request in step S581.
[0182] The CPU of the guest service server receives the transmitted account and request (step S801). The CPU of the guest service server authenticates whether or not to provide the guest service information based on the account (step S802). Although not shown in the flowchart, if authentication is not possible, the guest service server ignores the information received in step S801 or returns error information.
[0183] After the authentication is successful, the CPU of the guest service server extracts guest service information to be provided to the management server 30 (step S803). The CPU of the guest service server transmits the extracted guest service information to the management server 30 (step S804). The CPU 31 receives the guest service information (step S582).
[0184] The CPU 31 inputs the user request and emotion received in step S551, the speaker attributes estimated in step S555, and the guest service information received in step S582 to the recommendation model 48 (step S583).
[0185] The CPU 31 acquires the introducing facility IDs and their respective scores output from the recommendation model 48 (step S557). The subsequent processing is the same as the flow of the processing of the program explained using FIG. 8, and therefore the explanation will be omitted.
[0186] According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an information processing system 10 that utilizes guest service information recorded in various guest service servers to provide information that matches the preferences of the user.
[0187] 19 shows the user which guest services are linked, making it possible to provide an information processing system 10 that does not cause the user to feel unnecessary anxiety. The non-linked button 52 makes it possible to provide an information processing system 10 that allows the user to easily add guest services to be linked.
[0188] Since guest service information is received from the guest service server whenever necessary and input to the recommendation model 48, it is possible to provide an information processing system 10 that does not store personal information unintentionally provided by the user.
[0189] [Embodiment 7] 21 is a functional block diagram of an information processing device according to the seventh embodiment. The information processing system 10 includes a request acquisition unit 81, a user interface identifier acquisition unit 82, a guest attribute acquisition unit 83, and a product / service information output unit 84. The request acquisition unit 81 acquires a request based on voice data acquired from a user interface 20 installed in a guest room of the accommodation facility. The user interface identifier acquisition unit 82 acquires a user interface identifier for identifying the user interface 20.
[0190] The guest attribute acquisition unit 83 acquires guest attributes related to the guest staying in the guest room, based on the user interface identifier acquired by the user interface identifier acquisition unit 82. The product / service information output unit 84 outputs product / service information based on the guest attributes acquired by the guest attribute acquisition unit 83 and the request acquired by the request acquisition unit 81.
[0191] [Embodiment 8] The present embodiment relates to a form in which a management server 30 for an information processing system 10 of the present embodiment is realized by combining and operating a general-purpose server computer 90 and a program 97. Fig. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an information processing system 10 of the eighth embodiment. Note that a description of parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted.
[0192] The information processing system 10 of this embodiment includes a smart speaker 20, a voice response server 14, a PMS server 15, and a server computer 90, which are connected via a network. The server computer 90 includes a CPU 31, a main memory device 32, an auxiliary memory device 33, a communication unit 34, a reading unit 36, and a bus.
[0193] The program 97 is recorded in a portable recording medium 96. The CPU 31 reads the program 97 via the reading unit 36 and stores it in the auxiliary storage device 33. The CPU 31 may also read the program 97 stored in a semiconductor memory 98, such as a flash memory, mounted on the server computer 90. Furthermore, the CPU 31 may download the program 97 from another server computer (not shown) connected via the communication unit 34 and a network (not shown) and store it in the auxiliary storage device 33.
[0194] The program 97 is installed as a control program for the server computer 90, and is loaded into and executed by the main storage device 32. This causes the server computer 90 to function as the management server 30 described above.
[0195] [Embodiment 9] 3 shows a specific example in which guest attributes are recorded as information about the guest in the guest field of the PMSDB, but in this embodiment, instead of guest attributes, the guest field records PMS-recorded guest information (which may include guest attributes), which is information about the guest recorded in the PMS, such as user's product history information (purchase history, browsing history, etc.), guest's restaurant history information (reservation history, usage history, browsing history, etc.), or information about the guest's preferences. Furthermore, the PMS server 15 may obtain information recorded in another server (for example, a POS (Point of Sale) server (server related to point of sale information management)) and use it as PMS-recorded guest information, without recording PMS-recorded guest information in the PMSDB.
[0196] When the management server acquires PMS-recorded guest information, the input data input to the recommendation model 48 in Fig. 6 is the PMS-recorded guest information, the request, and the emotion. Also, in S522 in Fig. 7, the CPU 31 acquires PMS-recorded guest information. The same applies to the other figures.
[0197] The recommendation model 48 can respond according to the user's information by outputting output data based on the PMS-recorded guest information.
[0198] [Embodiment 10] The auxiliary storage device 33 of the management server 30 further includes a user DB. The user DB records, as user information (guest information), information on the user's attributes, information on the user's product history (purchase history, browsing history, etc.), information on the user's restaurant history (reservation history, usage history, browsing history, etc.), information on the user's preferences, etc. Furthermore, the user information is updated every time the user uses the information processing system 10. For example, when a user uses the information processing system 10 to visit a restaurant, information on the restaurant's usage history and information on the user's preferences are updated.
[0199] In the case where the auxiliary storage device 33 of the management server 30 further includes a user DB, the input data to be input to the recommendation model 48 in Fig. 6 are user information, requests, and emotions. In addition, in S522 in Fig. 7, the CPU 31 acquires user information. The same applies to the other figures.
[0200] The recommendation model 48 can respond according to the user information by outputting output data based on the user information.
[0201] [Embodiment 11] The recommendation model 48 in FIG. 6 acquires guest information, which is information about guests, from multiple servers instead of guest attributes, as input data. Specific examples of guest information acquired from multiple servers include two or more pieces of guest information among user information recorded in the user DB recorded in the auxiliary storage device 33 of the management server 30, PMS recorded guest information recorded in the PMSDB of the PMS server 15, and guest service information recorded in the guest service server. The recommendation model 48 uses the guest information acquired from multiple servers as input data (requests and emotions may also be input data), and outputs output data. In this case, in S522 in FIG. 7, the CPU 31 acquires two or more pieces of information from the above information. The same applies to other figures.
[0202] The recommendation model 48 can respond according to the user's information by outputting output data based on information about the guest obtained from a plurality of servers.
[0203] [Embodiment 12] In this embodiment, the biometric information of the guest is used as the guest information, and the biometric information is used as input data for a recommendation model 48 to obtain output data. When using the recommendation model 48 in FIG. 6, the biometric information of the guest is added to the input data, and the output data is the recommended facility ID of the facility to be introduced to the user and a score indicating the degree of recommendation. When using the recommendation model 48 in FIG. 13, the biometric information of the guest is added to the input data, and the output data is the guest room environment, such as the room temperature, humidity, color and brightness of the lighting, and the volume of the television.
[0204] The biological information of the guest is information such as the guest's body temperature, pulse, blood pressure, and brain waves. The biological information may be recorded, for example, by a guest service using a constantly worn sensor attached to the guest's body to acquire the biological information of the guest and record it in a guest service server. For example, when the guest's body temperature is high, the recommendation model 48 in FIG. 6 receives input data indicating that the guest's body temperature is high, and outputs output data indicating that the recommendation level of restaurants that serve cold food is increased. When the guest's body temperature is high, the recommendation model 48 in FIG. 13 receives input data indicating that the guest's body temperature is high, and outputs output data indicating that the room temperature of the guest room is lowered.
[0205] [Embodiment 13] In this embodiment, the guest's conversation and behavior are used as guest information, and output data is obtained using the guest's conversation and behavior as input data for the recommendation model 48. The guest's behavior can be obtained, for example, based on a video of the guest captured by the camera 28 of the smart speaker 20 installed in the guest room of the accommodation facility such as a hotel. The guest's conversation can be obtained, for example, based on audio information of the guest's conversation captured by the microphone 26 of the smart speaker 20 installed in the guest room of the accommodation facility such as a hotel. Furthermore, among the guest's behavior, behavior that can be identified from sounds such as sneezing and clapping may be obtained based on audio information acquired by the microphone 26.
[0206] For example, if a guest is talking to another guest saying, "I want to eat ramen," the recommendation model 48 uses the content of the conversation as input information and outputs output data that indicates a high degree of recommendation of the ramen restaurant. Information about the people having the conversation (couple, family with children, gender, age, etc.) may also be acquired from the audio information of the guest's conversation, and the recommendation model 48 may use this information as input information to output output data. For example, if the people having the conversation are a married couple, facilities that can be used by married couples are output as output data.
[0207] [Embodiment 14] In this embodiment, input / output information, which is information input or output in an application on the device used by the user, cookie information, etc. are used as guest information, and this information is used as input data for the recommendation model 48 to obtain output data.
[0208] The input / output information of a user's application is, for example, information that is input or output in an application when the user starts the application installed on the user's smartphone. This information may be obtained, for example, by a guest service server through an application (already installed on the smartphone) provided by the hotel guest service, and the information processing system 10 may obtain the input / output information from the guest service server.
[0209] The cookie information is, for example, cookie information stored in a device such as a user's smartphone, computer, etc. Acquisition and recording of the cookie information may be performed, for example, by the management server 30 acquiring the cookie information from the device used by the user, and recording the information as user information (guest information) in a user DB in the auxiliary storage device 33 of the management server 30.
[0210] If the input / output information and cookie information in the user's application contain information regarding the user's preferences, the recommendation model 48 can respond according to the user's information by outputting output data based on information about the guest obtained from multiple servers.
[0211] The technical features (constitutive elements) described in each embodiment can be combined with each other, and by combining them, new technical features can be formed. The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered as limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above meaning, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims.
[0212] For example, the servers in each embodiment do not constitute independent servers, and one server may fulfill the roles of multiple servers. Specifically, in Fig. 2, the management server 30 and the voice response server 14 constitute independent servers, but one server may fulfill the roles of both servers. Similarly, in Fig. 2, the management server 30 and the PMS server 15 constitute independent servers, but one server may fulfill the roles of both servers. [Explanation of symbols]
[0213] 10. Information Processing Systems 14 Voice response server 15 PMS Server 20 Smart Speaker (User Interface) 21 CPU 22 Main storage 23 Auxiliary storage device 24 Communications Department 25 Touch Panel 251 Display section 252 Input section 26. Mike 27 Speaker 28 Camera 30 Management Server 31 CPU 32 Main storage 33 Auxiliary storage device 34 Communications Department 36 Reading unit 41 Speaker DB 42 Referral Facility DB 48 Recommendation Model 51 Linked button 52 Unlinked button 81 Request Acquisition Unit 82 User interface identifier acquisition unit 83 Guest Attribute Acquisition Department 84 Product and service information output section 90 Server Computer 96 Portable recording media 97 Program 98 Semiconductor Memory
Claims
1. receiving a request based on voice data obtained in a guest room of the accommodation via a user interface; Acquire guest service information related to the guest from the guest service for which the guest staying in the guest room has permitted information sharing; Identifying product or service information, which is information on a product or service, based on the request and the guest service information; A program for causing a computer connected to the user interface to execute a process for outputting the product / service information.
2. Transmitting the guest's account in the guest service and the request to the guest service; Receive the guest service information transmitted from the guest service The program according to claim 1.
3. The guest service is an EC (Electronic Commerce) service, a restaurant-related service, a travel-related service, a point-granting service, or an SNS (Social Networking Service). The program according to claim 1 or 2.
4. The guest service information is the guest's product purchase history, product viewing history, product usage history, or the guest's preferences in the EC service. The program according to claim 3.
5. The hotel guest service information is the hotel guest's restaurant reservation history, restaurant browsing history, food and drink order history, restaurant review history, or the hotel guest's preferences in the restaurant-related services. The program according to claim 3.
6. The guest service information is the guest's travel history, accommodation history, or the guest's preferences in the travel-related services. The program according to claim 3.
7. The guest service information may be a product purchase history of the guest when points are awarded in the point awarding service, a product purchase history when points are used, or a preference of the guest. The program according to claim 3.
8. The guest service information may be a posting history of the guest on the SNS, a friendship history, a product purchase history when points are awarded, a product purchase history when points are used, or a preference of the guest. The program according to claim 3.
9. a button indicating a guest service for which the guest has permitted information linkage and a button indicating a guest service for which the guest can approve linkage are displayed on a welcome screen that is first displayed when the guest enters the guest room; Accept instructions from the guest regarding the termination of or approval of the connection The program according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
10. Acquire guest information about the guest from a PMS (Property Management System), The product / service information is identified based on the request, the guest service information, and the guest information. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
11. receiving a request based on voice data obtained in a guest room of the accommodation via a user interface; Obtaining guest information regarding a guest currently staying in said guest room from the PMS; Identifying product or service information, which is information on a product or service, based on the request and the guest information; A program for causing a computer connected to the user interface to execute a process for outputting the product / service information.
12. The guest information includes the guest's attributes, companions, payment method, accommodation history, preferences, anniversaries, or allergies. The program according to claim 11.
13. The PMS is shared among affiliated accommodation facilities. The program according to claim 11 or 12.
14. receiving a request based on voice data obtained in a guest room of the accommodation via a user interface; Acquire guest service information related to the guest from the guest service for which the guest staying in the guest room has permitted information sharing; Identifying product or service information, which is information on a product or service, based on the request and the guest service information; An information processing method, in which a process of outputting the product / service information is executed by a computer connected to the user interface.
15. receiving a request based on voice data obtained in a guest room of the accommodation via a user interface; Obtaining guest information regarding a guest currently staying in said guest room from the PMS; Identifying product or service information, which is information on a product or service, based on the request and the guest information; An information processing method, in which a process of outputting the product / service information is executed by a computer connected to the user interface.
16. An information processing device including a control unit, The control unit is acquiring a request based on voice data acquired in a guest room of the accommodation facility via a user interface connected to the information processing device; Acquire guest service information related to the guest from the guest service for which the guest staying in the guest room has permitted information sharing; Identifying product or service information, which is information on a product or service, based on the request and the guest service information; Output the product / service information Information processing device.
17. An information processing device including a control unit, The control unit is acquiring a request based on voice data acquired in a guest room of the accommodation facility via a user interface connected to the information processing device; Obtaining guest information regarding a guest currently staying in said guest room from the PMS; Identifying product or service information, which is information on a product or service, based on the request and the guest information; Output the product / service information Information processing device.
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