Robots and other technologies revolutionize hotels
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THE physical and digital world are overlapping wherever we look, and hotels, too, are following the trend in a bid to offer their guests the best services possible. But amid all the technological buzz, some neglect the personal, human touch that is so vital to the hospitality industry.
Without a doubt, mobile technology can enhance the efficiency of hotel services. Earlier this month, Marriott International announced that it would become the first global hospitality company to offer Apple Pay check-in and out. The introduction this summer in the United States will include The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance and Marriott brands. When guests check in, they can swipe their iPhone or Apple watch near a reader at the front desk to have their payment information captured. The process takes less than a minute, multiple times faster than the traditional check-in, which takes at least five minutes.
“Approximately 75 percent of our guests travel with one or more mobile devices, and the rate is even higher among the 26- to 35-year-olds — a group that will make up a much larger proportion of our guests over the next three years,” said George Corbin, senior vice president of Marriott Digital.
JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai Tomorrow Square and Hyatt on the Bund have confirmed that they are now preparing to launch Apple Pay check-ins.
“We started accepting Alipay last year, which is used by many local customers but has restriction on foreign cards,” said Silvio Rosenberger, the general manager of JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai Tomorrow Square.
Besides increasing the efficiency, new technologies make the hospitality service more transparent. Guests staying at one of Hilton Worldwide’s 4,000 properties can choose which room they want to stay in by looking at a list of available rooms on floor maps via their mobile devices. The service hasn’t been introduced in Hilton hotels in China yet.
An internal online survey from last year showed that 84 percent of more than 1,000 travelers wanted to be able to choose their own room, Geraldine Capline, senior vice president and global head of digital at Hilton Worldwide, told USA Today in an interview.
“We are giving our guests the ability to do just that by enabling them to select not just their room type, but the exact location in the hotel, all the way down to their room number,” Capline said in the interview.
Latest technology can also break down geographical barriers. Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts recently launched virtual reality experiences to help their marketing efforts. Travel advisors, meeting planners and corporate guests, no matter where they are, can wear a Samsung Gear VR headset, which produces 360-degree videos for over a quarter of its 94 hotels and resorts, from the rooftop of Jokhang Temple in Lhasa to the ballroom in Hong Kong. They don’t need to travel for venue inspection any more.
“Virtual reality is a revolutionary technology and the perfect platform to immerse our customers. Seeing really is believing,” said Edward Malinowski, chief information officer at Shangri-La International Hotel Management.
Liberating the staff
Relay, 91 kilograms in weight and 91 centimeters high, is a robot butler made by California-based company Savioke to free hotel staff from menial tasks. It can listen and talk through a touch screen, receives orders from the front desk and asks guests for feedback. Relay can navigate the hotel’s property, including taking the elevator. Relay and its “brothers and sisters” are now widely used in Starwood and InterContinental hotel groups.
In Weird Hotel, Japan, an English-speaking receptionist is a robot that looks like a dinosaur. The dinosaur checks in guests and takes their luggage to their rooms. Hideo Sawada, who runs the hotel, says that robots are more efficient.
Robots are also a way to ease the shortage in human resources many hotels are struggling with, some experts say.
“Hiring talented staff members is becoming increasingly difficult in Asia, so hoteliers are looking toward technology innovations to help increase productivity,” said Alexi Khajavi, executive vice president of Questex Hospitality Group.
But others disagree.
“Technology should always facilitate stronger relationships and add value as opposed to replacing the human touch. Our team, who delivers ‘hospitality from the heart’ cannot be replaced by technology. Done well, technology only enhances our colleagues’ ability to deliver on our promise,” said Malinowski from Shangri-La International Hotel Management.
Putting people first
“It depends on the hotel brand and its target customers. Most of the guests staying in five-star hotels in Asia Pacific expect face-to-face communication. Luxury hotels use technology to offer guests more options rather than saving cost,” JW Marriott’s Rosenberger said, adding that he observed that many guests choose to talk to the receptionist after they are done with their mobile check-in.
“We live in a digital age, the pace of technology innovation is relentless,” said Shangri-La’s Malinowski.
However, he said that he sees technology as a helpful tool. The ultimate purpose is to better serve guests, he emphasizes.
Malinowski anticipates that the next technology innovation in hospitality will be centered on “delivering greater personalization and recognition to our guests.”
Rosenberger doesn’t want to see technology prevail over the human spirit.
“I saw some frequent guests just looking down at their phones when they pass the lobby and not caring about hotel’s ambience and staff’s warm greeting. How to keep a balance between service efficiency and leading customers to fully enjoy hospitality is a big challenge today,” he said.
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