Robot Staff: How technology is changing guest experience

It has been reported this week that a hotel at a theme-park in Japan is to be staffed by Robots. The Henn-na Hotel is scheduled to open in July and alongside some human staff it will have, ‘remarkably human-like robots who will be able to greet, carry luggage to rooms, make cups of coffee – and even smile’, according to the Telegraph article.

Our experts discuss changing technology in hotels:

This remarkable plan is taking technology in hotels yet another step in to the future. But whilst guests interacting with robots sounds extraordinary it is only highlighting the trend for changing guest touch points and the emphasis on experience in hotels.

Another new product launched this year was the very first Virgin Hotel in Chigaco. A new player in the hotel industry, the brand promises to be innovative much like Virgin’s other ventures. The hotel has its own app which guests can use to interact with staff and other guests, and to request services. The app can control the room thermostat, order room service, plays music from a built in music library, and displays messages from staff for updates on hotel events and the processing of the guest’s requests.

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Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: embracing the mobile world

The escalation of mobile technology is something to be admired. The speed in which the digital world moves is often very hard to fathom. However, getting the basics right when using these tools is essential and the best hotel companies are grasping the opportunity that mobile technology gives them.

Uptake of mobile technology is nothing new, but with more and more guests using their devices to research, understand and make decisions on where to stay, embracing this new world of communication is integral. In this briefing we hear from experts about the mobile world, including:

  • Alex Kyriakidis, President – Middle East and Africa for Marriott on why hospitality should grasp mobile technologies
  • Nigel Huddleston, Industry Head of Leisure for Google on the information mobile technologies can provide
  • Ewan Cameron, CEO at Lonhro Hotels on the African market being more sophisticated than many Western markets when it comes to mobile
  • And Cyril Ranque, SVP of Global Market Management for Expedia on the likelihood of mobile overtaking laptops in terms of usage.
 


If you’ve been sent to this page but you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do so here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the most recent IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

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