Kayak enables voice and touch technology through Amazon’s Echo Show

Kayak enables voice and touch technology through Amazon’s Echo Show

Travel search engine Kayak has launched a new feature which allows users to book a hotel room using Amazon’s Echo Show. The device merges verbal commands with visuals, so that they are shown pictures of their voice-activated search results. Kayak … Continue reading

Travel search engine Kayak has launched a new feature which allows users to book a hotel room using Amazon’s Echo Show.

The device merges verbal commands with visuals, so that they are shown pictures of their voice-activated search results.

Kayak – which recently added hotel bookings to its Amazon Alexa skill – is urging its customers to use the voice and visual technology on the seven-inch part touch screen device.

A post on its website says: “Say you’re in the kitchen cooking dinner, thinking about the business trip you’re going on next week to see a new client. Then you realize — #$%&, you forgot to book a hotel. Without breaking your chopping technique, you say, “Alexa, ask Kayak to book a hotel room.” Kayak will respond with your available options and will display images on Echo Show for each one. You can navigate through KAYAK’s recommendations by touch or by voice, spot the hotel that looks right for you, and book. All before the chicken goes in the oven.”

To use the Echo show, Kayak customers must sync their account and enable the Kayak skill in the Alexa app. It responds to the word ‘Alexa’ followed by a request, such as: ‘book me a hotel room in Boston from September 15-17’.

The Echo Show will display 10 bookable hotels which can be scrolled through or looked at individually via voice command. Users will see price per night and the room’s availability and can confirm the booking – through a partner such as Booking.com or Priceline.com – with a verbal instruction.