Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to do to get started with the Virtual Concierge?

Getting started is easy:

Get an Amazon Echo device from a retailer or Amazon.com.
Sign up to create an account.
Follow the set-up wizard to create a new Property in our portal.
Add some things you want Alexa to say in response to guest questions.
Follow the instructions to add your Echo device to your Property.

Pricing: What are subscription credits, and how do they work?

Overview:

When you sign up for the AIPEX Virtual Concierge, 'credits' are added to your subscription. You get 30 credits free, and then can purchase more as you like. Here is how credits are used: 1 credit is consumed per day for each property you have. That provides unlimited use of the Virtual Concierge on your guest's phones, and also on 1 Amazon Echo device in that property.

Pricing:

The cost of our service is nominal. The base price for a credit is .40 USD, with quantity discounts of up to 40%.
Here are some examples:

A purchase of 300 credits is eligible for 20% off, or 32 cents per credit. 1 credit is consumed per day, so that is 32 cents per day. That means you can provide this service to your guests for a 3-night stay for less than $1 USD.
If you would like to get the lowest price, purchase 1000 credits and you will receive 40% off. That is only $7.20 USD per month.

Using more than 1 Echo device per property:

You may add additional Echo devices to a property if you wish. 1 additional credit per added device will be consumed per day. So for example if you have a property with 2 active devices, then 2 credits will be used per day for that property.

How to save even more:

In the AIPEX portal, you can activate or deactivate the Virtual Concierge service at your properties. When the service is disabled, no credits are consumed. Using credits allows us to offer hosts the ability to only pay for the service when you are using it. Most subscription models charge you by the month, whether there are guests in your property or not. Instead, with AIPEX self-service, you can disable your properties in the off-season and be charged nothing.

I’ve been using an Amazon Echo device at my property prior to implementing the Virtual Concierge. What differences should I be aware of after implementing AIPEX?

AIPEX Virtual Concierge leverages Amazon’s Alexa for Hospitality (AFH) program wherever it is available. Currently it is available in the US, UK and Canada, with more countries soon to come. If you are deploying in the US/UK/Canada, you will have access to special features such as:

Name Free Skill Invocation (NFSI): This is the capability for guests to ask questions directly of Alexa, instead of first having to open a skill in order to get access to your curated content. So for example if you have created a content item in our portal to recommend a local steakhouse, without NFSI guests would need to say: "Alexa, ask our host" and then after hearing the response, ask "what steakhouse do you recommend?" in order to get your curated recommendation. With NFSI, guests can just say: "Alexa, what steakhouse do you recommend?" to get your curated recommendation.
Digital Signage in your property focusing guests on things you want them to know about
Centralized management and monitoring of all your Amazon Echo devices across all properties
Scale deployments without having to create individual Amazon accounts for each property
Online / Offline device status visibility
Hotel-grade Security and Privacy enhancements
Send custom notifications and announcements, in real-time or schedule in advance

When an Amazon Echo device is added to AFH, special microcode is applied that makes the device different from normal retail Echo devices. Once imported into the AIPEX system, your Echo device will no longer be managed via the Alexa App. This means that features you may have used with the Alexa App won’t be available anymore. For example:

Smart home controls (contact support@aipextech.com to enable)
Adding additional skills (contact support@aipextech.com to enable)
Routines
Drop-in
On devices with screens:
- Amazon Photos slideshow
- All use of the camera is disabled

How do I log in to the Virtual Concierge Portal?

Click here to access and bookmark the Portal. Use the email address that you provided when you signed up on our registration page. If you can’t remember your password, click the ‘Forgot Password?’ link on the portal login page and provide your email address. An email with a link to reset your password will be sent to you. If you can’t remember the email address that you used, Contact us, and provide your name and address. We will look up your account and provide that information.

What Alexa devices are supported for use in the US, UK and Canada?

Amazon Echo (2nd, 3rd, 4th generation)
Amazon Echo Dot (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th generation)
Amazon Echo Plus (1st, 2nd generation)
Amazon Echo Show 5, 8, and 15

Amazon Echo Show 8 or 15 is recommended.

Are properties outside the US, UK and Canada supported?

Yes, outside of the US, UK and Canada, the AIPEX Virtual Concierge on mobile phones is fully supported. Additionally, there is support for in-property Amazon Alexa devices, however there are some features that are not available outside of the US, UK and Canada. See the Compare Features page for a description of the feature differences. You can also reference this support page for a description of how to set up devices outside of the US, UK and Canada. Please note that when you register for an AIPEX account, you specify the country for your account. Choose the country where your properties are located.

Are properties located in US territories supported?

Amazon does not yet support Alexa for Hospitality in US territories. Please contact support@aipextech.com for options on deploying the AIPEX Virtual Concierge in these regions.

What does my Virtual Concierge subscription include?

In the US and UK, your subscription includes a license to use Alexa for Hospitality (AFH) on your device at no additional cost. This is a significant value, for which Amazon charges a monthly fee. The AFH fee covers the special software that is applied to the device, as well as the licensing for music available with the service (including streaming music from iHeartRadio and TuneIn). In addition, please see this page for a full list of features that your AIPEX Virtual Concierge includes.

Can I add more than one device to my property?

Yes, you can add as many devices to your property as you would like. Please keep in mind the following considerations:
- Amazon charges on a per-device basis, so under our subscription model one credit is used per day for each device that is associated to a property.
- 'Alexa Smart Properties for Hospitality' provides a code base that AIPEX uses to build special features for the virtual concierge experience. That code base does not yet support the ability for synchronized multi-device music streaming. In other words, a song can’t be playing throughout a property across multiple devices as if it was a single audio system.