Virgin Voyages Built An AI Planning Assistant That Knows Where A Sailor Is In Their Thinking
Virgin Voyages has introduced Rovey, an AI-powered planning assistant built in collaboration with Google Cloud, unveiled at Google Cloud Next 2026. Rovey is the first element of Project Ruby, Virgin Voyages’ broader AI initiative designed to support the entire Sailor journey—from discovery through booking. Context-aware decision support: Unlike traditional keyword-based travel bots, Rovey adapts to where a Sailor is in their planning. - Example: A Sailor comparing cabin categories gets a different conversation than one still deciding on a departure region. Powered by Google Cloud AI: Built on the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, Gemini models, and BigQuery. Personalized recommendations: Suggests voyages, “Shore Things” excursions, and onboard experiences tailored to each Sailor’s preferences. Seamless booking guidance: Moves beyond static search to help Sailors make confident decisions and complete bookings smoothly. Future roadmap: Seven additional AI-driven touchpoints are planned, each addressing friction points across the Sailor journey. Virgin Voyages’ CTO Andy Schwalb emphasized that Rovey reflects “a decade of thinking about how technology should serve the guest experience rather than be layered on top of it.” This is a bold move in cruise tech—bringing AI into the decision-making moment rather than just answering FAQs.
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