Handling 800+ Calls a Month With Canary’s AI Voice at Hotel Zephyr

OPERATIONS

Hotel Zephyr, a 361-key boutique lifestyle hotel in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, uses Canary's AI Voice to answer every guest call immediately — handling 800+ calls a month — while Digital Authorizations and Dynamic Upsells cut chargebacks and generate around $130,000 in ancillary revenue each year.

Why it matters: Known for its playful, shipyard-inspired design and guest-focused approach, Hotel Zephyr is a longtime Canary customer and was among the first adopters of Canary's AI Voice solution.

Hotel Zephyr previously relied on a digital switchboard (IP PBX/VoIP) system that caused long hold times and dropped calls. Adding AI Voice to its existing suite of Canary products — including Mobile Check-In, Digital Authorizations, Digital Contracts, Guest Messaging, Dynamic Upsells and Smart Checkout — created even more efficiency across the business. General Manager Joyce Yun shared how the solutions work together to save time, reduce administrative work and grow revenue.

Top 3 Core Objectives: Hotel Zephyr wanted to eliminate long hold times and dropped calls, reduce the time spent on chargeback disputes, and build upsell revenue into the guest journey rather than leaving it to chance.

Answer every call: Replace a legacy digital switchboard that caused long hold times and dropped calls, so every guest call is answered immediately and staff have full context on transfers.
Reduce chargeback work: Cut the significant time the accounting team spent manually reviewing chargebacks, validating guest information and compiling rebuttal documentation.
Grow ancillary revenue: Build upsell offers into the guest journey automatically and incentivize staff to fulfill them, creating additional revenue while enhancing guest stays.

Innovators Mentioned

Hotel Zephyr

Canary Technologies

Joyce Yun

General Manager

Hotel Zephyr

"We’ve seen a noticeable reduction in phone calls reaching our staff. That allows our team to spend more time delivering personalized service to guests in the hotel while still ensuring callers receive fast, accurate answers."

Joyce Yun

General Manager

👍 General Manager Joyce Yun said that Canary's AI Voice answers guest calls immediately and reduces calls reaching staff, freeing the team to deliver personalized in-person service.:

"We’ve seen a noticeable reduction in phone calls reaching our staff. That allows our team to spend more time delivering personalized service to guests in the hotel while still ensuring callers receive fast, accurate answers."

⚖️ The selection process: During their research process, Joyce Yun evaluated Canary Technologies's product differentiators, customer support, and holistic value as a strategic partner and ultimately decided that Canary Technologies was the best fit solution:

General Manager Joyce Yun said, about their decision: "Every dollar counts, and every guest interaction is an opportunity. Canary has made upselling much simpler. We can clearly track what’s working, recognize our staff for great performance and create additional revenue while offering guests options that genuinely enhance their stay."

📈 The results: With Canary, Hotel Zephyr answers every call immediately, has fewer chargebacks with documentation ready when they occur, and brings in around $130,000 in ancillary revenue each year — freeing staff to focus on personalized, in-person guest service.

800+ guest calls handled by AI Voice in a single month (April), nearly 40 hours of conversation time, with full guest context captured before any transfer.
Chargebacks have become much less frequent, and documentation is readily available when they occur — significantly reducing administrative work for the accounting team.
Around $130,000 in ancillary revenue each year from Dynamic Upsells sent automatically through AI-powered guest communications.