I admit that I’m a sucker for room service. I can slob around in a robe, forget the lipstick, watch junk on TV and eat a lovely meal prepared by someone else and served directly to my room. Lovely.
So what’s the alternative nowadays in hotels when we’re concerned about contact-free service? Well, in the last few years, and long before the time of COVID, the hospitality industry has been experimenting with robots taking the place of several human functions in hotels. But now they are more relevant than ever.
A guest at some hotels in Japan can stay there without coming into contact with a human being at all. Check-in, concierge services, room service, and all front desk functions are dealt with by robots.
Hilton Hotels are using robotic concierges, there are robotic suitcases that follow their owners, security robots are used at airports and several hotels are making full use of the room service robot.
See the video below.
Of course, we all know that robotics are not new in the hospitality industry or in the home. When I’m preparing all-tiled STR apartments for incoming guests I use two floor cleaning robots to wash the tiles.
At home, I think I started using a robotic vacuum cleaner about fifteen years ago. Many people do and we think of them as commonplace.
A robotic concierge is only a talking machine that tell us about the areas we’re staying in, what’s on and where to get local services. The robotic delivery robot in the video above doesn’t seem to be a science fiction type of robot at all. We’re used to robotics now.
The robots aren’t, as some people might imagine, taking jobs from humans. The hotels who are using these technologies say that the use of robots frees up their staff members to undertake other tasks for their guests – tasks that need the personal touch.
The only problem I’d have is stopping myself from thanking the robots for their services. I’m frequently found to be having conversations with Alexa. “Thank you, dear” I’ll say to her when she’s told me about the day’s weather forecast or who won the 1954 Monaco Grand Prix.
Well, at least I’m polite…
ARTICLE BY:
Jackie
JJ is originally from the UK and has lived in South Florida since 1994. She is the founder and editor of JAQUO Magazine. You can connect with her using the social media icons below.