How to get your information ready for an AI assistant: rooms, rates, policies and menu
An assistant is only as accurate as the information behind it. Here is what to gather and how to keep it right before you switch one on.
When an AI assistant gives a guest a wrong answer, the cause is usually not the technology. It is the information behind it: an old price list, a policy that lives only in someone’s head, a menu that changed last month. The good news is that this is the part you control. Getting your information ready is the most useful thing you can do before switching an assistant on.
Why the information matters more than the tool
An assistant built to answer from your own data is only as accurate as that data. If two documents disagree, it has nothing reliable to say. If something is missing, a well-built assistant should admit it does not know and hand over to your staff — which is correct, but it means the guest waits for a person. The more complete and consistent your information is, the more questions can be answered on the spot.
A weak source
- Several price lists that disagree
- Rules known only by one staff member
- Out-of-date menu photos
- Details scattered across chats
A strong source
- One current list of rooms, rates and extras
- Policies written in plain sentences
- A menu with prices and what is currently available
- One owner who keeps it up to date
A checklist for hotels
- Room list: each room type, size, beds, maximum guests and what is included.
- Rates: the price per night, seasonal changes, extra-person charges and taxes or fees.
- Hours: reception, breakfast, check-in and check-out, and how late arrivals work.
- Policies: cancellation, deposit, payment, children, pets and ID.
- Location and services: address, directions, parking, transport and anything you offer.
- Hand-off rules: which situations go to a person, and who is contacted.
A checklist for restaurants
- Menu: dishes, prices, descriptions and options, with items that are currently unavailable marked.
- Dietary information: what you can say with confidence, and what must always go to a person.
- Floor plan: tables, seats, how they combine and any areas for groups.
- Hours: opening times by day, last orders and holiday changes.
- Booking rules: how far ahead guests can book, party-size limits and how long a table is held.
- Hand-off rules: large groups, events, complaints and who to notify.
| Information | Where it usually lives | Who should keep it current |
|---|---|---|
| Rooms, rates, policies | A spreadsheet, a price sheet or the manager’s notes | Front-office or general manager |
| Menu and prices | A printed menu or a chef’s document | Chef or restaurant manager |
| Opening hours and holidays | The website and your head | Whoever runs the schedule |
| Escalation rules | Usually unwritten | The owner or manager |
Keep it right after launch
- Name one owner for each set of information.
- Update at the source first, so there is never a second copy that disagrees.
- Review before each busy season and whenever a price, hour or policy changes.
- Read real conversations now and then. Questions the assistant could not answer show exactly what is missing.
Our hotel and restaurant assistants answer from your own information, so a clean source makes them better from day one.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need everything perfect before I start?
No. Start with the information guests ask about most, and add the rest as you see questions that need it.
What if my prices change often?
Change them in one place and let everything else read from it, so the assistant and your website never disagree.
Who should hold the information?
One named person for each area, so it is always clear who updates it.