Definitely Doug
In my
first column three weeks ago, I challenged readers to schedule just one hour a month to step away from the daily grind and look at innovative technologies. Not ones you necessarily need today, but ones that push the boundaries of traditional options, and help you think outside the box. Each issue, I’ll pick one area of hospitality technology where I’ve found interesting innovations, highlight them for you to help give you some ideas to look for, and cite some companies you might want to look at. These aren’t recommendations; there are many considerations that should enter into product/vendor selection process. Rather, they are companies whose innovations intrigued me and made me consider new ways of addressing known challenges. Your mileage may vary!
This week’s column focuses on robotics in hotels, and more specifically on robots that can roam freely and/or do physical work. I’m not dismissing robots that interact with humans only verbally, they’re interesting too, but that’s more AI than true robotics, and a topic for another week.
The value proposition of robots performing tasks like delivering room-service, amenities or luggage is still up for debate. Some guests love them -- robots can have engaging personalities, and they never ask for tips! Others prefer service from a real person, and will for many years to come, even as demographic trends suggest that the proportion is trending downwards. Robots work 24/7 and never complain. Relatively few hotels have robots, so those that do can get a marketing benefit from the “buzz” if guests write about them on social media (as many do). But robot production is still very limited, and unit costs are high.
Some hotels have reported that the labor savings roughly cover the cost of the robot, and that the true benefit is the marketing buzz, or increased revenue from chargeable items that guests request to be robo-delivered. Others haven’t cut back labor but think there is a benefit from the ability to be more responsive to guest requests. To be sure, the marketing sizzle value will fade as hotel robots become commonplace. Over time, robot costs will come down and labor costs will continue to rise, so we can expect the economics to improve. I fully expect that robots will become a common, increasingly mature technology in many mainstream hotels within the next 5-8 years. But exactly which roles they will fill, and how, will evolve between now and then.
What are some interesting robotic applications? Apart from guest-room deliveries (
Savioke,
Aethon,
LG), robots have been used to store and retrieve luggage (
Yotel Yobot), to hand out room keys (
ZoraBots), to prepare food (
Chowbotics,
Moley,
Miso Robotics), to serve drinks (
The Tipsy Robot), to vacuum guest rooms (
Maidbot,
Neatorobotics) or to clean floors in public spaces (
Taski), to mow lawns (
Robomow), to clean pools (
Hayward), and to provide roaming security surveillance (
Knightscope).
All of these may have applications in hotels. I was particularly intrigued by
Sally the Robot from Chowbotics, which is essentially a vending machine full of fresh ingredients and a robotic chef that will create made-to-order dishes. If the cost and logistical support requirements are reasonable, it could be a great addition to a limited service hotel in need of something a little better than day-old grab-and-go sandwiches.
Robots are only in their toddler years in hospitality, and no one knows what they’ll be like when they grow up. To be sure, many hoteliers and guests will never accept that robots can truly provide hospitality (although rumor has it that as a bartender, The Tipsy Robot is a terrific listener). But probably not too many guests really expect a warm human greeting from the vacuum cleaner, the lawn mower, or even the night watchman. So these kinds of robotic applications may well be the ones to catch on first. As volumes grow and costs inevitably come down, while labor costs continue to rise, the economic case will become compelling.
Have you seen robot applications for hotels I haven’t covered here? Please let me know!
Douglas Rice
douglas.rice@hosptech.net
Recent Headlines, From Hospitality Upgrade
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Guest Management Systems
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Glen Eyrie’s team realized its existing hotel software was not able to grow with the property’s guest engagement and centralized operational needs. In 2017 Glen Eyrie began a comprehensive year-long system selection process that
resulted in its installation of Maestro PMS’ sophisticated web browser version hotel software in a cloud hosted deployment.
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Reservations
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SHR Holds Inaugural Meeting of New Product Advisory Board
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Apple Core Hotels, Inc. Selects Cendyn to Power CRM Across Hotel Group
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Infor Completes Acquisition of ReServe Interactive
Infor, a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry,
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HFTP Partners with HotStats on the Global Hospitality Accounting Common Practices Database
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Cloud5 Communications Designs & Builds WiFi Network for the New TownePlace Suites by Marriott at Louisville Airport
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Angie Hospitality Introduces New PassPoint™ Hotspot 2.0 Technology Powered by Global Reach Technology to Streamline and Simplify Guest Wi-Fi Connectivity
Angie Hospitality, developer of the industry's first 24-hour interactive guest room assistant purpose-built for the hotel environment, has
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Shift4 Payments Announces General Availability of New RESTful API
Shift4 Payments, the leader in secure payment processing solutions, today
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Quore is Driving Hotel Employee Engagement
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dormakaba Delivers Total Enterprise Solutions and Services for Architects, Designers and Developers
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Architecture & Integration
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Hapi Announces Availability of "Hapi Connect" on Salesforce AppExchange, the World's Leading Enterprise Cloud Marketplace
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Hospitality Events
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HSMAI’s Curate Event Explores AI and Innovation
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HFTP’s Third HITEC Europe Builds Momentum for Hospitality Technology Gathering
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