Sheraton Universal introduces Sizzle AI video host for guests

Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City, California, has introduced Rosa, a conversational AI video host designed to help guests access hotel services and plan activities from their phones. Technology provider Sizzle announced the introduction on Oct. 13, 2026, saying the service is available around the clock in more than 33 languages.

Guests reach Rosa by scanning a QR code in their arrival welcome letter, without downloading an app or using dedicated hotel equipment. The system provides a conversational starting point for enquiries and directs guests towards the appropriate hotel team when human assistance is needed.

Hotel information and destination guidance

Rosa handles questions covering reservations, parking, valet, room service, dining, amenities and shuttle information. Sizzle describes the service as a visual alternative for guests seeking information about their stay, with live video conversations delivered directly through their own devices.

Tom Beedon, general manager of Sheraton Universal Hotel, said the aim was to reduce the time guests spend working out practical details. He said the hotel wanted to make it easier for visitors both to obtain help from its team and to plan their day.

The property is beside Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal CityWalk, giving the service a destination-information role alongside its hotel functions. Sizzle says its Experience Pass connects guests with those attractions, hotel services, restaurants, concerts, museums, clubs, Los Angeles sports and other local experiences.

Phone-based delivery avoids in-room hardware

For operators, Sizzle presents the phone-based approach as a way to introduce conversational guest assistance without installing tablets or other dedicated guest-facing devices throughout a property. The release positions the absence of a major hardware installation as a central feature of the deployment.

“Technology earns its place in a hotel when it improves the stay and makes sound business sense,” said Russell Cox, owner’s representative for Sheraton Universal Hotel. Cox said Rosa enables the property to serve guests on devices they already carry, without a hardware investment in every room or advertising within the guest experience.

Property-specific production and response monitoring

Sizzle’s entertainment studio produced Rosa specifically for Sheraton Universal, combining conversational AI with screen-production techniques. According to the company, her appearance, voice and personality were developed to reflect the property’s approach to welcoming guests.

The hotel also receives a bespoke system for monitoring and improving Rosa’s answers over time. This is intended to allow the property to adjust accuracy, tone and service information as hotel details and guest requirements change.

Brian Weiner, Sizzle’s founder and chief executive, said the technology was intended to make a hotel’s knowledge available through individual video conversations and extend assistance beyond the property. Sheraton Universal is part of Marriott Bonvoy’s Sheraton brand and offers a complimentary shuttle to Universal Studios Hollywood, alongside dining, leisure and meeting facilities that form part of its guest-service information.