WORDS: AMELIA DUGGAN. IMAGES: HUISTEN BOSCH
hotels | news TECHNOLOGY TREND Rise of the robots
Henn-na, Japan
A NUMBER OF hotels are investing in machines that can handle guest check-in, store luggage, deliver extra towels or even mix drinks at the bar. Aloft Silicon Valley introduced its bionic butler
‘Botlr’ in August, adding to the media buzz that still surrounds the launch of a similar robot in their Cupertino hotel last fall. InterContinental Hotel Group has also announced a mechanical addition to the Crowne Plaza San Jose-Silicon Valley: a R2D2 look-alike named ‘Dash’. Te hospitality bots, all developed by Silicon
Valley-based startup Savioke, are programmed to navigate elevators and obstacles to deliver amenities and snacks to guests’ rooms.
three of a kind
More and more brands are employing the latest
developments in robotics, and marketing themselves as tech-forward to appeal to today’s hyper-connected millennial travelers. Last year, Royal Caribbean promoted its Quantum of the Seas as ‘the world’s first smart ship’, and now lures passengers with its Bionic Bar in which two robotic arms mix cocktails ordered via tablets. Yotel New York is also bolstering its tech credentials with a luggage-check robot. While the present application of robots
remains largely gimmicky, their presence is likely to grow as repetitive tasks are streamlined. Rather than replace human staff, it could divest
them of menial work leaving them to concentrate on the more intuitive aspects of customer care. Taking the idea of automated hospitality to its
extreme is Japan’s Henn-Na Hotel: a kitschy, budget hotel in Nagasaki, which opened in July. Here, main staff are mechanical: the check-in desk is manned by bi-lingual bots in the form of a dinosaur and a humanoid woman, luggage trolleys are self-driving and bag storage is operated by a robotic arm. Henn-Na’s creators are paving the way for
wide-scale innovation in the industry, and predict that the advantages of automation will be increased efficiency and reduced staffing costs.
n YOTEL, NEW YORK: Yotel’s combination of buzzy bars, tranquil chill-out areas and up-to-the- minute tech — super-strength wi-fi, automated check-in, convertible beds and a robotic bag handler — has been causing a stir since its launch in 2011. NY’s largest roof terrace can be found on the fourth floor, offering views across the Hudson and Midtown West.
yotel.com
n HENN-NA, JAPAN: Set in Nagasaki’s Dutch- themed amusement park, Huis Ten Bosch, the world’s first ‘robot hotel’ offers minimalist, budget rooms and all the mod cons of the future, including biometric face-recognition scanners in place of keys. Design buffs will love the eco-friendly architectural details: solar panels and an innovative natural air conditioning system.
h-n-h.jp
n ALOFT CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA: With its upbeat, open-concept social areas, loft-inspired rooms and resident robot, the fresh and social vibe at this hotel makes it a popular choice with Zuckerberg-types visiting the tech-corp heartland (Apple HQ is nearby), as well as hikers looking to relax after exploring Cupertino’s 150 acres of greenery.
aloftcupertino.com
fall 2015 | ASTAnetwork | 29
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