Hilton and Be My Eyes Deploy AI to Assist Visually Impaired Guests

For many, checking into a hotel can mean the beginning of an exciting adventure, a relaxing getaway or important moments in life. For guests who are blind or have low vision, exploring the unfamiliar surroundings of a hotel could pose unique and specific challenges that have the potential to impact their stay.

Hilton has announced an industry-first, exclusive partnership with Be My Eyes to ensure guests who are blind or have low vision can experience a more accessible, seamless and welcoming stay. Together with Be My Eyes, Hilton is making available AI-powered assistance and dedicated Hilton Reservations and Customer Care support to guests who are blind or have low vision across the U.S. and Canada.

Be My Eyes is a free mobile app that connects blind and low vision users with sighted volunteers and companies through live video and AI, and now, directly connects Hilton guests with a team of dedicated, specially trained English-speaking Hilton Reservations and Customer Care agents.

Through this partnership, Be My Eyes users in the U.S. and Canada can use their smartphone to navigate to Be My Eyes’ “Service Directory,” select the “Hotels” category and choose the participating Hilton brand to be directly connected to Hilton’s dedicated teams.

Hilton teams will be available to help users navigate the hotel, including helping guests identify and adjust the in-room thermostat, operate in-room coffee machines, identify window coverings, or navigate to the hotel’s meeting spaces and amenities such as bars, restaurants, gyms or spas.

Assistance is available across a variety of Hilton’s portfolio of brands, including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton and Hampton by Hilton, among others. The partnership provides both leisure and business travelers who are blind or have low vision with personalized assistance for every stay occasion.

The partnership marks a significant milestone in the collaboration between Hilton and Be My Eyes. Hilton first partnered with the organization in 2023 to train and improve “Be My AI,” an OpenAI GPT-4 language model that powers the Be My Eyes app, to enhance its ability to recognize objects and navigate the furniture and fixtures found in Hilton brand hotel rooms.

Earlier this year, the partnership was expanded to include the development and training of a specialized team of Hilton Reservations and Customer Care agents who can support Be My Eyes users that may need assistance during their stay.

In addition to leveraging Hilton’s dedicated Reservations and Customer Care team, guests can take advantage of Hilton’s industry-leading “straight-to-room” digital self-service tools that create a seamless experience from check-in to check-out.

Where available, these tools include the ability to choose your room, digitally check in, use the Digital Key to open guest room doors with mobile phones and digitally check out. With this technology, guests who require additional assistance can adapt their travel experience based on their specific needs.

For more, visit www.bemyeyes.com. Be My Eyes can be downloaded via the App Store on iOS or Android.