Bob Pulver welcomes Lance Thompson, President of VIVI, a hospitality-focused AI company formerly known as SAVI. Lance shares his journey from luxury hospitality to tech entrepreneurship, highlighting how VIVI is bringing human-centered design to voice AI. They discuss the evolution of guest experiences, the importance of multilingual support, and how AI is being responsibly deployed to reduce friction for both guests and staff. From room service to HR to golf tee times, VIVI’s solutions demonstrate what happens when deep hospitality know-how meets cutting-edge AI.
Keywords
Lance Thompson, VIVI, SAVI, hospitality tech, voice AI, multilingual support, hotel operations, HR automation, guest experience, AI adoption, Microsoft Azure, Kinetic Solutions Group, Four Seasons, Vail Resorts, Aspen Hospitality, AI in travel, shadow AI, responsible AI, agentic search, reservations automation, guest personalization
Takeaways
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Lance's career spans luxury hospitality, including Four Seasons and Vail Resorts, before shifting into tech with the founding of SAVI, now VIVI
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VIVI is leveraging AI voice agents to support hotel operations, from answering phones to making reservations and handling HR inquiries
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Multilingual capabilities are critical in hospitality; VIVI agents can fluently switch between languages in real time
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Lance emphasizes the importance of consistency in service delivery — AI can ensure high-quality, brand-aligned experiences across time zones and locations
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Unlike traditional decision-tree systems, VIVI’s tools rely on conversational AI that listens, adapts, and can be interrupted mid-sentence
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Shadow AI poses risks for companies — Lance urges leaders to develop clear internal policies for responsible use and governance
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VIVI's architecture is designed with data privacy and security in mind, with each client having its own isolated knowledge base
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The future of hospitality AI lies in scalable, personalized tools that blend human empathy with machine precision
Quotes
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“I wanted to be in a space where I could help people have a better experience in life — and hospitality gave me that.”
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“If it can’t be interrupted, it’s not a conversation. And that’s what real guest service is about.”
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“We don’t want to replace Janet in Reservations — we want to scale her.”
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“Guests don’t want a link. They want an answer — fast, accurate, and in their language.”
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“People aren’t afraid of AI. They’re asking when they can start using it to be more effective at their jobs.”
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“We’re not building a static product. As the models improve, our tools do too.”
Chapters
00:00 - Intro and background from Carmel to Colorado
02:47 - Lance’s early passion for hospitality
05:09 - Discovering the limits of legacy systems
07:10 - The spark behind founding SAVI (now VIVI)
08:48 - Early demos, use cases, and multilingual potential
11:36 - Why real conversational AI matters
14:59 - Shadow AI and responsible adoption
17:54 - Building secure, client-specific AI agents
23:33 - Creating community through consistent service
26:39 - Managing real-time updates and seasonal accuracy
29:39 - Rethinking apps and improving discoverability
32:19 - The magic of humanlike conversations
36:02 - Delivering 5-star experiences through AI
39:30 - Personalizing brand voice (yes, even “absolutely”)
41:09 - Customizing user experience in real-time
43:03 - Transparency, trust, and guest empowerment
46:25 - What’s next for VIVI and hospitality AI
48:00 - Expanding into HR, golf, and reconciliation tools
51:06 - The travel planning use case
53:19 - New challenges in AI-driven SEO
53:23 - Final reflections and what’s ahead
Lance Thompson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lance-thompson-92a5476
VIVI: http://www.vivi.bot/
For advisory work and marketing inquiries:
Bob Pulver: https://linkedin.com/in/bobpulver
Elevate Your AIQ: https://elevateyouraiq.com
Substack: https://elevateyouraiq.substack.com
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