The hospitality sector is exploring automation with renewed urgency, driven by staff shortages, rising operational costs, and ever-higher guest expectations. A new solution, DreamDesk, developed by Lamington Group in partnership with its co-founders Vieri Balboni and Robert Godwin, represents an evolution in this space: an AI-powered, all-in-one reception designed to handle routine guest interactions across voice, chat, email, and WhatsApp. While its primary focus is on improving operational efficiency, DreamDesk also signals a broader opportunity for security installers and integrators in the emerging field of virtual reception and AI-enabled visitor management.
DreamDesk has been specifically tailored for hotels, B&Bs, serviced apartments, and hostels, environments where traditional front desk operations are labour-intensive yet often understaffed. UKHospitality reports that the sector currently faces around 132,000 vacancies, 48% higher than pre-pandemic levels, leaving properties with lean staffing models struggling to maintain 24-hour reception coverage. In this context, DreamDesk automates up to 90% of routine communications, enabling human staff to focus on high-value, personalised interactions.
For security professionals, this could represent a subtle but significant shift. DreamDesk functions as a virtual front desk —a central hub that manages visitor communications and serves as the first point of verification for guests, contractors, or deliveries. This mirrors the role of traditional intercom and access control systems, offering potential integration points for building security. By handling routine inquiries, pre-screening guests, and escalating complex or unusual interactions to human staff, the AI system effectively provides a layer of operational security, reducing the reliance on a constantly manned reception.
Key features of DreamDesk that may be of interest to integrators include its multi-property scalability, 24/7 automation, and integration with property management systems (PMS) and booking platforms. These capabilities mean that a single AI-enabled system can manage visitor interaction across multiple sites, a concept familiar to security teams deploying centralised access control or video management solutions. Moreover, DreamDesk generates analytics and reporting for all interactions, which parallels the audit trail functions critical in security deployments. This data can be valuable not only for operational assessment but also for security oversight, providing a digital record of all visitor communications.
The AI platform’s ability to maintain consistent language, tone, and branding across properties also hints at its potential to support security protocols. For example, automated prompts could verify visitor identity, instruct on building access rules, or confirm compliance with health and safety procedures—all tasks that might otherwise rely on human reception staff. From an integrator’s perspective, DreamDesk presents a model for AI-assisted, low-touch security operations that can complement existing access control, CCTV, and alarm systems.
DreamDesk is already operational in a number of UK properties, including room2 hometels and Lamington Apartments, with plans to expand to 50 hotels by the end of the year. Early adopters report that the system has streamlined operations and enhanced guest interactions, a testament to the viability of AI in front-facing roles. For security installers, these case studies highlight the potential for virtual reception technology to reduce the need for 24-hour on-site staffing while maintaining both service quality and oversight.
While the system is not a physical intercom in the traditional sense, its function aligns closely with the virtual intercom concept. Installers and integrators familiar with deploying connected reception units, remote access solutions, and visitor management systems may find that DreamDesk or similar AI-enabled platforms could be offered as part of integrated building security solutions. As smart buildings and multi-property management become more common, the intersection between AI reception and security is likely to become a key area of interest for the trade.
Co-founder Vieri Balboni summarises the positioning succinctly: “Let your staff be physically present and shine out front whilst DreamDesk handles the equally important background noise. By removing time-consuming routine tasks, hospitality professionals can concentrate on the personal touches that shape the guest experience.” In practice, these “background tasks” often include routine visitor verification, directing queries, and logging interactions—all areas where security systems intersect with operational efficiency.
For integrators and installers, DreamDesk provides a blueprint for the next generation of visitor management: one that blends AI-driven communication, digital record-keeping, and scalable deployment across multiple properties. While the system was designed with hospitality in mind, its underlying model demonstrates how AI can be used to enhance both operational efficiency and building security, signalling a shift in the role of front-facing technology within commercial properties.
As the sector continues to explore AI-driven solutions, virtual reception systems such as DreamDesk may well become a standard component of integrated security strategies, offering installers and integrators a new avenue for innovation and value-added service delivery.