Hotel Operations Platform Frequently Asked Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HOW ALICE WORKS

What is ALICE?

ALICE is a cloud-based platform that unifies your staff and guests to seamlessly handle any request - whether it's in-room dining or a broken AC unit. In practical terms...we're a hotel staff's best friend! ALICE is a tool that empowers staff to be the best versions of themselves so they can be more efficient with their daily internal tasks and flawless in their guest service.

What is Actabl? ALICE became a part of Actabl in June 2022. Actabl is the industry’s first and only integrated hotel operations, business intelligence and labor management solution. Actabl is bringing together the full scope of advanced capabilities by ProfitSword, Hotel Effectiveness, ALICE and Transcendent to deliver a unified, modular SaaS-based platform that integrates the vast resources of each brand. The Actabl team boasts more than 250 global employees, over 1,000 years of combined hospitality experience, and more than 10,000 properties served. Learn more.

Is ALICE just for hotels? ALICE isn't just for hotels. ALICE works great for 3-5 star independent and managed hotels, but is also designed for vacation rental companies, luxury residences, and concierge companies looking to provide exceptional service through mobile staff technology and guest communication channels.

Where in the world does ALICE operate?

ALICE sells predominantly into the U.S., Mexican, Caribbean, and European markets. If your property is located outside those markets, but your staff speaks English, please get in touch.

Does ALICE replace my PMS?

No, ALICE is not a PMS. ALICE integrates with your existing PMS for reservation information to help facilitate quicker entry for the staff using ALICE. If you consider your PMS the heart of your operation, then ALICE is the veins - taking requests and delivering them to the right department or staff to be fulfilled, tracked and reported on.

Can every department in my hotel use ALICE? Yes! Housekeeping, Maintenance, Front Desk, Concierge, F&B, Valet, and all departments involved in the operations side of the hotel business use ALICE to dispatch, receive, track and manage their internal work and guest requests. By eliminating the need for multiple, fragmented software systems for each department, or radios and pen and paper, ALICE allows your staff to work together as a unified team on a single platform.

Does ALICE replace radios for internal communication? Yes, we can replace your radios with smart devices such as iPod Touches or affordable Android devices. Today, these devices are typically half the cost of a traditional hotel radio. ALICE is cloud-based and works on mobile and desktop so staff members who work on the go can accept and manage all requests from their mobile device.

Do my guests have to download an app?

Not at all. Guests today want choice and the ability to communicate on their own terms. If a guest does not enter the request on their own devices, your staff will enter it on their ALICE devices. However, guests can choose to download the app and then get real-time status updates on every request they make.

Can a guest text in a request?

YES. Guests do not have to download the app and can instead send a text to your hotel. Your staff receive this text just like any other request made online or through our app, and can respond directly to the guest as well as dispatch any requests that come from the conversation directly to the right staff.

Does ALICE have an API?

Yes! You can use our open API to integrate ALICE with your hotel or brand guest app, for functionality like structured service requests or chat. You can also use our API to allow any third-party device or provider to send requests directly into ALICE, including chatbots, Alexa, or other hospitality software products.

What other hotels use ALICE?

ALICE is currently in prominent hotels in almost every major U.S. city as well as in Europe and the Caribbean. We would be happy to discuss current ALICE customers near you on a call, so please contact us to explore ALICE at your property.

Does ALICE integrate with my PMS? ALICE integrates directly with your Property Management System, so you can access all relevant guest information with your guests' requests. ALICE’s PMS partners include IQware, Opera, Springer-Miller Systems, Maestro, and WebRezPro. Get in touch to learn more.

GETTING STARTED WITH ALICE

What devices can I use with ALICE? ALICE works on Android version 5.0 and Apple iOS version 9 or higher. Unfortunately, without testing we can not guarantee capability by device. Please contact us for further details.

What operating system does ALICE work with? ALICE's guest and staff mobile apps are compatible with any iOS or Android device running version 2.10.0 or higher.

Can ALICE come to my hotel for a demo? Let us know you’d like an in-person demo of ALICE. We have account representatives all across the United States and would be happy to find a convenient time and place to meet.

How easy is it to implement ALICE? Very easy! Your hotel will be matched with one of our Customer Success professionals, each of whom have extensive experience managing front of house teams at hotels. ALICE will visit your property for on-site training and walk you through the setup process. We believe in doing the heavy lifting for our customers because we too are in the hospitality business and want your experience with ALICE to be exceptional.

WHAT TO EXPECT WITH ALICE

How does ALICE help my online reviews?

Our hotels have seen an increase in online scores, and research shows online scores that rise just one star can result in an 11% increase in ADR! TripAdvisor asks hotel guests to rate your hotel in three different categories: Location, Quality, and Service. Your location is hard to change, value is driven by price (and who wants to lower price?), and so service becomes the main way you can improve your online scores. ALICE is focused on empowering your staff to deliver an amazing service experience.

I already have guest communication software and housekeeping software, do I need ALICE too? It's true... you can continue to run your hotel just as you are now. However, guests have new expectations of service delivery, and hotels are not nearly as efficient when their systems are fragmented. Bringing all departments and your guests on to one platform means lower costs, streamlined communication, and improved service delivery when multiple departments have to work together, and vastly improved reporting across all departments or properties with actionable data regarding service times, guest requests, and internal issues. The ALICE platform helps each member of your team excel in their role and deliver flawless service.

What ROI should I expect from ALICE? While many of our hotels realize ROI from guest engagement, ROI will also likely come from reduced IT costs and long term improvements in staff efficiency and loyal guests.

How much does ALICE cost? ALICE belives in a cost model that makes it easy to have your entire staff using ALICE. As such, we do not charge per user, or staff member, on the platform. Instead, we charge a monthly subscription fee based on room count and which modules of ALICE are being purchased. Please get in touch with us to discuss more accurate pricing based on your hotels operational needs.