Make way, robot butlers are here to serve you

Years ago, I worked briefly as a hotel bellhop, greeting guests, bringing luggage up to their rooms and helping them haul it back down again when they checked out. It was social and dexterous work – in other words, the kind of thing that is supposedly hard to automate.

So, I was intrigued to read recently about a robotic “butler” being tested at Starwood Hotels’ Aloft line, at its Cupertino, California, location. The “Botlr” can deliver toothbrushes, razors and similar items to guests’ rooms, replacing the need for human staff to do so.

I reached out to Aloft, and spoke with Brian McGuinness, Aloft’s global brand leader, to hear about the motivation behind the pilot. I expected the usual reasons for automation – cost-savings or increased precision or reliability. Instead, he told me that Aloft is betting that its customers would rather interface with a robot than a person, and that they’ll value proximity to the next big technology. And, of course, that it will free up staff to do more “human” work.

Unconventional service
So, how did the idea to use a robot in the hotel originate? Five years ago, Aloft brand was created to appeal to the tech-savvy, the early adopters, the next-generation traveler – the people who wait in line for the next smartphone to be released. One of the key locations is Cupertino, so, essentially on the Apple campus. And part of their facility there is testing next-generation technology like Apple TV in guest rooms and keyless entry – the ability to use your smartphone to enter your room without having to go to the front desk to pick up the plastic key.

And Savioke, which is a robotics company, was reading about Aloft brand and its push for technology around what the future of hotels looks like. They said, “We’re working on a robot, would you be interested?” And we said, “Absolutely, says Brian.
So how will the Botlr work? With the brand’s help, Savioke has mapped the hotel. The robot is essentially going from the front desk, navigating through the lobby, onto the elevator – it actually has a two-way communication with the elevator system. So, calling the elevator, the elevator is telling it that it has arrived and the door is open.

The Botlr is boarding the car, going up to let’s say, the fourth floor. The elevator says, “You are now on the fourth floor, the doors are now open,” the Botlr exits, goes to the room.

Because of the mapping technology, it calls the guest room and says, “I’m out here, I have your delivery.” The customer opens the door, there’s a steel container or compartment, the lid pops open, the customer retrieves their item.

But what about the reaction from the staff? He says, it’s a relief. Botlr isn’t going to replace associates or their talent. They don’t have doormen or bellhops. Just the front desk agent. Essentially, this is doing the tasks that they would have to leave the front desk and run upstairs for.

Sending the Botlr on that journey simply means that they’re at the front desk serving a customer in a better way.