SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- KT Corporation (KRX: 030200; NYSE: KT) and Hong Kong-based MVI Systems Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) today for joint artificial intelligence (AI) hotel services and business development in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions.
The signing ceremony, held at the KT Gwanghwamun Headquarters in Seoul, was attended by Kim Young-Woo, KT's vice president and head of its Global Business Development Unit; Karl Sin and Anke Gill, co-founders and executives of MVI Systems Ltd.; and other representatives of both companies.
KT will link its GiGA Genie Hotel, a multi-functional, voice-recognizing service platform powered by AI, with MVI's information and entertainment solutions based on Internet Protocol TV (IPTV). The partnership aims at providing voice-activated room automation, robot-delivered amenities, Korean pop culture content and other smart services by the end of the year. Service models will be developed and tested during the first half of this year.
"Through the MOU with MVI, KT has gained a foothold in global markets with sustainable business models combining KT's know-how in the domestic hospitality industry and MVI's global experiences in hotel IPTV solutions," KT's Kim said. "KT will make unsparing investment and effort to expand both the global AI hotel business and the development of domestic IPTV projects in cooperation with MVI."
Anke Gill, managing director of MVI, said, "We are thrilled to be working with KT, a global innovation leader, on providing AI-driven guest services for hotels. By linking our respective platforms, we will be able to provide a winning formula for hotels to extend meaningful AI-based solutions that will contribute to a 'friction-less' guest experience."
Hotels in the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East regions are the partnership's initial target markets for AI-driven smart services. The two companies plan to further explore joint business projects through R&D collaboration to accommodate customer demands, and to expand business opportunities around the world by providing innovative, customized hospitality services.
MVI is Asia's leading provider of IPTV-based information and entertainment solutions for hotels, hospitals, multi-dwelling units and enterprises, mainly in the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. The company's industry-leading solutions have been implemented in more than 60,000 rooms, including those of major international hotel chains.
KT, South Korea's largest telecommunications company, is pioneering a new era in the hospitality industry with its cutting-edge AI technology. In July 2018, it opened the Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotels & Resorts, the country's first hotel offering AI-assisted room services.
The company has since provided its AI service platform to other luxury hotels in Seoul, including the L'Escape Hotel run by Shinsegae Chosun Hotel and the Grand Ambassador Seoul associated with Pullman.
In cooperation with these world-class hotels, KT is providing AI-based services for hotel information, integrated room control and smart concierge services, contributing to the hotels' reputation and prestige. The services are currently available in Korean and English. Services in Chinese and Japanese will be available during the first half of this year.
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