Amazon wants customers to give the Alexa a try, so they’ve partnered with Lennar to include the voice-activated technology in all their new homes.
The homebuilding company partnered with Amazon to create “Experience Centers” in their model homes that will allow customers to interact with the suite of Amazon devices — including Dash buttons, Alexa, and Echo — in a more natural living environment.
Visitors can control the thermostat, lights, television, and shades, as well as order household items, through the Dash buttons and schedule in-home contractors for tasks from repairs to cleaning.
Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, San Fransisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C., are all among the first cities to receive model homes equipped with Amazon products, but after the first 15 models the company says it will add more.
Along with the model houses, starting this month each of the new homes Lennar builds will come equipped with Alexa. That means about 35,000 houses across 23 states will be sold with built-in Amazon devices this year. All homeowners will have to do is choose an internet service provider and activate their account.
“This will be the hallmark of why we buy a new home,” David Kaiserman, president of Lennar Ventures, told USA Today. “It’s an important step in the mass adoption of all these technologies.”
Amazon chose to work with Lennar because it can showcase the Alexa experience within driving distance of millions of customers, Nish Lathia, general manager at Amazon Services, told Dallas News.
The model homes will be staffed with Amazon employees who can show customers the range of the company’s device offerings.
“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,” Bhavnish Lathia, general manager, Amazon Services, said in a statement to TechCrunch. “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.”
