Summary
- Where: a 24-room hotel in Melaka with one night-desk officer who is also the porter.
- What Saloma did: changed bookings at 1am, logged lost items, called guests before arrival and after checkout, and handed a bereaved guest to the front office manager.
- Why it matters: Saloma is an enterprise AI voice agent by Astiostech, a Malaysian technology company. It handles inbound and outbound calls, so a small hotel never lets a reservation call ring out.
An illustration: the night desk that never rings out
The Lantern House had twenty-four rooms, one very old staircase and a night desk staffed by a man named Bernard, who was also the porter, the minibar and, on one memorable occasion, the plumber.
The hotel sat on a quiet street in Melaka. Its guests loved it. Its phone did not love anybody. It rang at 1am with people who had found a cheaper flight and wanted to arrive a day early. It rang at 7am while Bernard was carrying suitcases up the very old staircase. And it rang, forever, about phone chargers.
Puan Salina, the front office manager, kept a drawer of abandoned chargers. She called it the museum.
"We don't lose guests because of our rooms," she told the owner. "We lose them because the phone rings out and the next hotel answers."
So the Lantern House put Saloma, an AI voice agent from Astiostech, on its reservations line, with the approved information: room types, rates, check-in times, parking, breakfast hours and the booking calendar.
Calls in
At 1:12am, a traveller named Mr Iskandar called from an airport.
"I've booked Friday to Sunday," he said. "Can I come Thursday instead?"
"Thursday night is available in the same room type," said Saloma. "Shall I change your booking to Thursday to Sunday?"
It was done before his boarding call. The new confirmation reached him on WhatsApp. Bernard, asleep in the back office with one eye open, did not need to open the other.
The next morning, a guest who had checked out rang about, of course, a charger. Saloma logged it as a lost item with a reference number. Puan Salina matched it to exhibit fourteen in the museum and posted it the same day.
Calls out
Then Saloma started calling people, which the Lantern House had never had time to do.
Two days before arrival, each guest got a call. "Hello, this is Saloma, the AI assistant for the Lantern House, confirming your stay from Friday. Is your arrival time still around 3pm?"
Guests confirmed, changed their dates or mentioned they would be late, so the desk knew who was really coming. After checkout, those who had agreed to it got a short feedback call: three questions, two minutes. One guest gave top marks for everything except the staircase. "Too many stairs," he said. Saloma recorded it faithfully. The staircase has been there since 1926 and declined to comment.
The call a person had to take
On a Wednesday afternoon, a woman named Mrs Fernandez rang to cancel a weekend booking. Her voice was very quiet. Her father had died that morning, she said, and the family trip was off.
The cancellation policy in Saloma's approved information was clear: inside 48 hours, the first night is charged.
Saloma did not read it out.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs Fernandez. I'd like our front office manager to help you with this personally. I'm transferring you now, and I'll tell her what you've told me, so you won't have to say it again."
Puan Salina, who had been listening to the live call from her screen, was already reaching for her headset. She took the call, waived the charge and told Mrs Fernandez the room would be there whenever the family was ready.
"The policy was correct," Puan Salina said afterwards. "It just wasn't the answer."
The museum
These days Bernard carries suitcases without a phone under his chin. The line no longer rings out. Guests who are coming late say so in advance.
The museum, however, is still open. Some problems are beyond technology.
What this means for your hotel or service business
- Reservation calls are answered at any hour. Saloma works as an AI receptionist that takes bookings and booking changes, and answers from the information you approve.
- Lost property is tracked. Saloma logs lost items with a reference number.
- Guests hear from you before and after their stay. Saloma makes outbound confirmation, callback and survey calls, with consent controls.
- Your team can step in. Supervisors can listen to live calls and take over, and Saloma hands calls to staff with a written summary.
- Follow-ups go to WhatsApp. Saloma sends WhatsApp messages during or after a call.
Frequently asked questions
What is Saloma? Saloma is an enterprise AI voice agent by Astiostech, a Malaysian technology company. It holds natural voice conversations on inbound and outbound calls, in 70+ languages and regional voice options including Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin and Tamil.
Can a small hotel in Malaysia use an AI voice agent? Yes. A hotel can put Saloma on its reservations line to take bookings and booking changes, answer questions such as check-in times and parking, and cover the phone overnight.
Can Saloma call guests before they arrive? Yes. Saloma makes outbound calls such as arrival confirmations, callbacks and feedback surveys, on the schedule and consent rules you set.
What happens when a call needs a human touch? Saloma transfers the call to a member of staff with a written summary of the conversation. Supervisors can also listen to a live call and take it over.
Where can I learn more about Saloma? See the Saloma product page.