Amazon's first official foray into the travel industry for a few years is here: Alexa for Hospitality - bringing the voice-activated device into hotel rooms.

The ecommerce giant's Echo will now allow guests to ask questions about hotel information, contact guest services, play music in their room and tap into other hotel-related services.

The service is initially available to hoteliers by invitation-only, Amazon says, with Marriott International being one of the product's launch customers for deployment at a number of its properties in the Marriott, Westin, St Regis, Aloft and Autograph Collection brands.

In addition to connecting with hotel-based services and tools, guests can talk to Alexa to take control of in-room services such as lights, thermostats, blinds and entertainment.

Jennifer Hsieh, vice president customer experience innovation at Marriott International, says: "Guests of Charlotte Marriott City Center and Marriott Irvine Spectrum will be among the first to experience a curated list of Alexa for Hospitality features.

"We will be evaluating guest feedback and adoption to inform how we expand the skills, features, and functionality offered through Alexa in our hotels."

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