Vio Skill

A portable skill for AI agents that provides conversational hotel search via the Vio MCP server. Search hotels, compare prices, read reviews, and explore room options through natural conversation.

What It Does

The /vio skill teaches agents to use two MCP tools:

• **search_hotels** — Discover hotels by location, coordinates, or name. Supports filters (star rating, amenities, property type, price range), sorting, and pagination.
• **get_hotels** — Fetch detailed data for specific hotels: reviews, rooms, FAQ, policies, price analytics, and more.

How It Works

The skill goes beyond basic search — it embeds product thinking into every interaction:

• Intent-based ranking — Hotels are ranked by how well they match what the user is actually looking for, not just by price or popularity. The agent evaluates location, reviews, price analytics, and amenities against the user's expressed intent.
• Smart categorization — Results are grouped into 2-3 meaningful categories (e.g., "Best Value", "Central Location", "Top Rated") with explanations of why each group stands out.
• Booking funnel — The agent actively guides users from search → narrowing → hotel deep-dive → room selection → booking, nudging toward the next step without being pushy.
• Three modes — Discovery (exploring options), Comparison (head-to-head evaluation), and Lookup (quick facts about a specific hotel), each with tailored behavior.
• Intent persistence — Context accumulates across the conversation. If the user mentioned "honeymoon" early on, that signal shapes every subsequent recommendation.
• Proactive alternatives — When criteria conflict with reality (e.g., cheap hotels in an expensive area), the agent reframes the search with context rather than just returning poor results.

Prerequisites

• An AI agent that supports the skill format (OpenClaw, Claude Code, or compatible)
• Optional: a Vio partner API key for higher rate limits. The MCP server is open to anonymous traffic at https://mcp.vio.com/mcp — no key required for casual or evaluation use.

Download

Get the latest vio.zip from the Releases page.

Or build locally: mise run zip

Setup

claude.ai

1. Download vio.zip from Releases
2. Go to Customize → Skills and upload vio.zip
3. Enable the skill
4. Add the Vio MCP server under Customize → Connectors:

• Type: HTTP
• URL: https://mcp.vio.com/mcp
• For partner-tier rate limits, append your API key: https://mcp.vio.com/mcp?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY

5. Start a conversation and try: "Find hotels in Amsterdam for next weekend"

OpenClaw

1. Copy the skill into your personal skills directory:

mkdir -p ~/.agents/skills/vio
cp SKILL.md ~/.agents/skills/vio/
cp -r references ~/.agents/skills/vio/

2. Add the Vio MCP server to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "vio": {
        "transport": "streamable-http",
        "url": "https://mcp.vio.com/mcp"
      }
    }
  }
}

For partner-tier rate limits, append your API key to the URL: https://mcp.vio.com/mcp?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY.

3. Restart the gateway and verify:

openclaw gateway restart
openclaw skills list    # Should show "vio" as ready
openclaw mcp list       # Should show "vio" server

4. Launch and test:

openclaw tui
# Then type: /vio Amsterdam for next weekend

Claude Code

Copy or symlink the skill into a plugin directory and use --plugin-dir:

mkdir -p my-plugin/.claude-plugin my-plugin/skills/vio
echo '{"name":"vio-hotels","description":"Hotel search via Vio MCP","version":"1.0.0"}' > my-plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
cp SKILL.md my-plugin/skills/vio/
cp -r references my-plugin/skills/vio/

Configure the MCP server in .mcp.json at the plugin root:

{
  "vio": {
    "type": "http",
    "url": "https://mcp.vio.com/mcp"
  }
}

Launch:

claude --plugin-dir ./my-plugin

For partner-tier rate limits, point at https://mcp.vio.com/mcp?api_key=${VIO_API_KEY} and export VIO_API_KEY=your-api-key-here before launching.

Other Agents

Install SKILL.md and references/ into your agent's skill discovery path, then configure the Vio MCP server connection:

https://mcp.vio.com/mcp

Append ?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY for partner-tier rate limits.

Usage

Invoke the skill directly:

/vio Paris, 3 nights in July, budget under 150 EUR

Or let the agent trigger it automatically when you mention hotel search:

Find me a 4-star hotel in Amsterdam with a pool

Example Queries

• "Search hotels in Barcelona for next weekend"
• "Find family-friendly apartments in Rome with free cancellation"
• "Compare the Hilton and Marriott in London"
• "Show me reviews for that hotel"
• "What rooms are available? I need something with a king bed"
• "Sort by price, cheapest first"
• "Show me more results"

File Structure

SKILL.md                        # Core skill definition
references/
  tool-reference.md             # Complete tool schemas and examples
README.md                       # This file
.mise.toml                      # Build commands (mise run zip)

License

BSD 3-Clause