Smart-home innovator Vivint announces new AI assistant and unique Airbnb partnership

For the 2017 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, smart home innovator Vivint decided to announce not one but three major partnerships and a brand new artificially intelligent home assistant. After revealing collaborations with the accommodations giant Airbnb, solar leader Vivint Solar, and Citizens Bank, Vivint also lifted the veil on its new smart device secretary, Sky. Perhaps equally as impressive as the announcements was Vivint’s own CES booth, which showed off its array of smart-home gear and highlighted the new additions.

Concerning its link with Airbnb, Vivint aims to give users of the housing service keyless access to rented properties, the capability to greet and verify customers via its doorbell camera, and 24/7 home security and monitoring. To help Airbnb hosts with the transition, Vivint says it will provide its professional team of smart-home pro installers to take the lead on setting up an entire home or apartment.

Vivint

“We are delighted to partner with Airbnb to offer our comprehensive smart home services to all hosts in North America,” said Alex Dunn, president of Vivint Smart Home. “Giving Airbnb hosts the convenience and security of a smart home helps them provide the best guest experience possible.”

Aside from its move to make Airbnb homes smarter, Vivint also saddled up with its solar partner — aptly named, Vivint Solar — to create a “single, unified experience” which gives its customers the ability to monitor the creation and usage of their home’s energy. By choosing a solar setup from Vivint, owners can accurately track their energy consumption and save big on annual electricity bills — all while managing every component of the installation via their smartphone.

Though perhaps no announcement screams “CES 2017” quite like Vivint’s unveiling of its newest connected home assistant, Sky. With nearly every smart-home gadget or gizmo jumping on the Amazon Alexa train prior to Vegas’ tech blowout, it’s not the least bit surprising to see Vivint make the same move. However, while its smart assistant boasts the capability of being controlled by Alexa, its smart features are equally as impressive. By leaning on an advanced artificial intelligence, Vivint’s Sky has the ability to control everything from a home’s lights and locks to its security system or thermostat.

“Consumers want more than an intelligent device – they want an intelligent home,” said Matt Eyring, chief strategy and innovation officer at Vivint Smart Home. “The real magic comes when multiple devices work together throughout the home in an intelligent way, creating a single, cohesive experience.”

Lastly, Vivint detailed its partnership with Citizens Bank, which allows its smart-home customers to enjoy a new feature called Vivint Flex Pay. With Flex Pay, anyone interested in jumping into the smart-home fold has the ability to pay separately for Vivint products or services when they create a fully customized smart-home setup. Similar to a credit line, qualified customers would even have a chance to pay zero-percent interest through Citizens.

Vivint’s new additions will release throughout 2017, though its partnership with Airbnb is available to interested customers now.