Walt Disney World Resort will soon begin testing updates to its hotel-selection experience for consumers, with some new features powered by AI.
Disney partnered with Google Cloud on the updates, which Disney said will enable consumers to better see and compare pricing and availability, and find information on the hotel that best matches their preferences.
The homepage for Disney vacation planning will be redesigned. Guests will be able to search for availability by season or an individual month. There's a new pricing and availability calendar and the ability to compare options and ask questions. Using AI, answers will take into context the guest's vacation plans, schedule and budget, Disney said.
Early in the planning experience, Disney said, guests will be given the option to give Disney more context around their vacation via a natural-language input.
For instance, they could share that they are two adults headed to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival who want to prioritize easy park access. Or, they could share that they are a family traveling for the 7th birthday of a Lion King fan that wants a resort with the best pool area for kids.
Disney said it will then return search results with the best available offers and rates, matched with the resorts that best meet the guest's preferences.
The search results will include resort summaries as well as some contextual information about why that property might be of interest. A hotel adjacent to Epcot might be recommended for the Food and Wine travelers, while the family might be directed to Art of Animation and its Lion King Family Suites or Animal Kingdom Lodge with its savannah area.
Disney has also created a map displaying where resorts are located in relation to the theme parks.
Disney is introducing a number of new features on its resort detail pages. They will now incorporate videos, helping guests get a better feel for any given hotel. In addition to displaying images, Disney will offer context on why a resort might be a good fit for guests with particular interests.
A new transportation hub will describe how guests can get to each park from any given resort, and roughly how long it will take to get there.
Disney also will introduce comparisons of its resorts, explaining high-level differences, then getting into details (like transportation, dining and amenities) as guests scroll down.
Guests can also ask follow-up questions and get detailed answers. For instance, Disney said, a query about walking from Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort to Epcot wouldn't simply state that it's not possible. It would offer the transportation options available.
Answers will take into account details the user has shared about preferences and travel purpose.
Disney said multiple rounds of research have contributed to the changes, which have been driven by guest preferences and pain points. Every new function has entered a beta-testing period. Testing will be rolled out soon on DisneyWorld.com for selected guests in the U.S. and Canada.