The ‘Hey Disney’ voice assistant is starting to roll out at select hotel rooms at Walt Disney World. The devices are first going into rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort before being added at a later date at other Disney resorts.
A video showing off the ‘Hey Disney’ device can be seen below.
Walt Disney World confirms “Hey Disney” is “beginning its rollout in limited rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort” before expanding to other hotels. pic.twitter.com/rLtsboN88T
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) November 29, 2022
The ‘Hey Disney’ virtual assistant, which is powered by Amazon’s Alexa technology, was first announced by Disney back in September 2021. Disney tested smart speakers in select Walt Disney World rooms as far back as 2019.
From Disney’s original announcement:
“Hey, Disney!” will make your vacation easier, more meaningful and more fun … and it will entertain and delight you when you’re at home, too. It raises the bar for immersive storytelling with authentic character voices, unique audio environments inspired by our films and destinations, and more than a thousand magical interactions to discover – so you can expect a few surprises!”
The device will be linked to your room, but won’t be connected to your My Disney Experience account. That means guests can ask for extra towels, but won’t be able to make Genie+ reservations, for example.
The ‘Hey Disney’ devices are an optional experience at Disney’s resorts. The device will be muted by default, and guests will need to intentionally unmute the device for it to “wake up” and become interactive.
If you’re not interested in “Hey Disney,” here are a few notes:
When you arrive in your room, “Hey Disney” will be muted. Once unmuted, the digital voice assistant will listen for the wake words “Hey Disney” or “Alexa.”
You can keep the device muted during your stay.
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) November 29, 2022
Guests can also physically unplug the device or ask Guest Services to remove the device from their room.
The ‘Hey Disney’ devices are initially debuting at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and are expected to arrive at other Walt Disney World hotels soon.
