Guide

AI concierge on WhatsApp: the questions to ask before you choose

Updated 15 October 2026

An AI concierge on WhatsApp answers travellers' everyday questions in place of the front desk: opening hours, access, parking, good addresses. It is only as good as three things: the source of its answers, the moment it hands over to a person, and what happens to your data and your number. This guide lists the questions to ask any provider, Léon included, before you sign.

What an AI concierge on WhatsApp does, and what it doesn't

An AI concierge handles the questions that come back every day and whose answer does not change from one guest to the next. It replaces neither the welcome, nor decisions, nor exceptions: a tired guest, a complaint, a commercial gesture remain your team's business.

• Which requests does the tool handle on its own, and which does it always pass on to the team?
• Does the guest know they are talking to an AI?
• Can the guest reach a person at any time?

With Léon: he takes the everyday questions; welcoming guests, exceptions and decisions stay with your team, and your guests can always reach a person. Your guests know they are talking to an AI.

Where its answers come from

This is the most important question. A general-purpose AI model can write, but it does not know your hotel: without a reliable source, it may fill the gap with an answer that sounds plausible and is wrong.

A set of answers you have approved

Ask what the tool relies on: your website, documents you send, or a base reviewed and approved by you. Ask also who writes it and how long it takes.

With Léon: for two weeks, your front desk notes the questions it receives, without any guest names. From them we write your house book (your answers, your tone, and what he must pass on to the team), which you review line by line. Your team then asks him real questions, trick ones included, and Léon speaks to your guests on the day you give the green light.

When the answer does not exist

Ask the question directly: “If a guest asks something that is not in your base, what does the tool answer?” The right answer: it tells the guest so and passes the request to the team. Be wary of a tool that answers everything.

With Léon: he answers only from the house book you have approved. When the answer isn't in it, he says so and passes the question to the team.

What it must never confirm on its own

A booking, a table, a price or an access code commits the hotel. Check that the tool does not confirm them without a person.

With Léon: he never confirms a booking, a table, a price or an access code on his own.

When a person takes over

A useful AI concierge knows when to step aside. Ask for a demonstration of the handover rather than a description: how the team is alerted, how quickly, and what the tool tells the guest at night, when the front desk is closed.

Check too that sensitive matters go to a person: a complaint, a health problem, a lost item, a dispute over a bill. A good tool does not try to settle them on its own.

Who owns the number and the data

Some tools answer from a number that belongs to the provider. If you stop, your guests lose the contact and the history goes with it.

• Does the tool answer on the hotel's WhatsApp, or on a number belonging to the provider?
• Does the answer base belong to you, and can you get it back?
• How long are conversations kept, and who can read them?
• Where is the data processed, and by which providers?

With Léon: he answers on your hotel's WhatsApp. The number and your house book belong to you, including if you stop. Only what is necessary is kept, for a period agreed with you, and access, providers and places of processing are set out in writing before launch. The details are on our page AI on WhatsApp and data protection.

How much work for your team

An “effortless” tool does not exist: the quality of the answers depends on the information the hotel provides and keeps up to date. Ask what is expected at launch, and then every week.

With Léon: at launch, logging the questions and reviewing the house book. After that, a designated person tells us what changes (hours, menu, building works) and we make the update.

Languages

Travellers write in their own language. Ask which languages are actually tested, and whether the answers are reviewed in each one.

With Léon: he answers in your guests' languages; before launch, we confirm with you the languages your front desk actually receives.

Connection to your booking software

A connection to the hotel's property management system (PMS) makes it possible to answer about arrivals or room status. It depends on your software and on the access your vendor allows. Ask whether the connection is read-only or whether the tool can change bookings, and whether it is included or billed separately.

With Léon: depending on your software and the access your vendor allows. The connection is read-only, assessed with you and priced in the quote.

What budget to plan

Offers often combine a setup fee and a monthly subscription, sometimes billing per conversation. Ask what is included (updates, languages, software connection) and what is billed on top, including WhatsApp messaging fees.

With Léon: setup starts at CHF 3,000 excl. VAT, then the subscription is CHF 499 excl. VAT per month, about CHF 16 a day. The exact quote depends on your hotel and your needs.

The 10 questions to ask any provider