Non-Binary Charlie Joins HospitalityVision as Pioneering Virtual Tour Guide

Friday, June 7, 2024

HospitalityVision introduces nonbinary Virtual Tour Guide Charlie and their dog Cassie on the Corvallis Explorer App. Charlie invites users to celebrate Pride Month on the Corvallis Explorer App, created for visitors. Charlie is the first nonbinary virtual tour guide in the travel/hospitality industry.

Charlie is also one of the pioneering virtual talking 3-D Tour Guides for the Hospitality & Travel Industry, powered by HospitalityVision’s ChatHPC and ChatGPT4. Charlie aims to revolutionize the exploration of Corvallis for both residents and visitors, redefining the traditional gender-limited virtual assistant’s role.

“We’re thrilled to have nonbinary Charlie in our community,” said Marti Staprans Barlow, President of HospitalityVision. “With Charlie, we take the chatbot to an inclusive local level, providing a fun way for residents and visitors to explore all that Corvallis has to offer. Traditionally, chatbots have been male or female, but that needs to change as AI and technology shape our future. Our goal is to make technology inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community. In Corvallis, all are welcome.”

Charlie isn’t just an average tour guide chatbot; they are a personalized companion for discovering the hidden local gems in Corvallis, whether someone is a first-time visitor or a long-time resident.

Charlie and their dog Cassie, named by the community, invite app users to celebrate and experience Pride Month events. They also promote wellness journeys by showcasing local retreats, day spas, sanctuaries, goat yoga, hiking, mocktails, local eats, and the best places to stop and smell the spring blooms. Charlie encourages users to enjoy local hikes, see the best spots for sunrise and sunset, and explore outdoor dining.

Key features of Charlie, the nation’s first official nonbinary virtual assistant, include:

• Voice Activation: Speak to Charlie to initiate a tour experience; if users need to be quiet, they can chat via text.
• Personalized Recommendations: Charlie tailors recommendations based on user interests, ensuring that every tour is uniquely suited.
• Historical Insights: Dive deep into the history of Corvallis with Charlie’s knowledge about landmarks, monuments, and cultural hotspots, including a “Corvallis Now & Then” tour that juxtaposes Corvallis of 1958 and 2024.
• Interactive Experience: Travelers engage in real-time conversations with Charlie to ask questions, receive directions, or chat about local trivia.

Charlie already offers some tours, such as the “fly over Corvallis” tour. In a few months, users will be able to ask Charlie to guide them through local landmarks and businesses before they even arrive.

“By programming our Chatbot locally, we reduce the number of incorrect answers we see sometimes in ChatGPT. We combine ChatGPT4 with our own CHATHPC™. We realize Charlie still has a lot to learn, but they are on their way to providing precise local information,” explains Marti Staprans Barlow.

To chat with Charlie, visitors can download the Corvallis Explorer app from the App Store and Google Play. Visitors can ask Charlie to create a daily itinerary, suggest activities with their dog, find hiking spots, recommend places for mocktails, tell a joke, and more.

Marti Staprans Barlow, President of HospitalityVision, was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year by her local Chamber of Commerce for her work on ChatHPC™ (HotelPal Chat™).

For media inquiries, please contact:
Marti Staprans Barlow, President, HospitalityVision

HospitalityVision, founded in 2012, aims to replace print hotel guest directories with a TV and now mobile product, advancing to interactive virtual concierges. HospitalityVision also provides retirement home TV channels, lobby displays, and is working on My CarePal™, an app for retirement homes with Chatbot Cora.