Photo: Lennar
Amazon.com has teamed up with homebuilder Lennar to open model smart homes across the country that are driven by its Alexa technology.
The e-tail giant has opened Amazon Experience Centers in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC, with plans to open others soon.
People visiting the Alexa-enabled model homes can use the technology to control the lights, television, thermostat, window shades and more. It also demonstrates the ease with which customers can order products and services using technology available from Amazon, such as its Dash Button.
“We wanted customers to experience a real home environment that showcases the convenience of the Alexa smart home experience, great entertainment available with Prime, and Home Services,” said Nish Lathia, general manager, Amazon Services, in a statement. “We are excited to extend our relationship with Lennar with the launch of Amazon Experience Centers. As one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, Lennar offers the potential to enable this experience within easy driving distance of millions of customers.”
Lennar had previously worked with Apple and its Siri tech in building smart homes, but switched to Amazon because of its “white-glove installation services,” according to Bloomberg. The home builder includes a visit from Amazon experts who set up devices to work with two Echo speakers that come with each house.
“Amazon’s ability to bring a home to life with Alexa smart home experiences, entertainment and services — coupled with their obsession with customer experience — is a natural extension of our everything’s included approach to homebuilding,” said David Kaiserman, president of Lennar Ventures. “We picked Amazon because of our shared commitment to customers, their Amazon experts across the country, and their ability to connect customers with thousands of service providers through Amazon Home Services.”