Robot in residence
How a robot has transformed guest experience at the Residence Inn LAX.
In world where machine learning, predictive analytics and AI technology are now becoming a reality as opposed to a construct of the future, smart hotels are now jumping on board to remain ahead in our cut throat industry. Robot technology is one of these areas of exploration, and in 2018 you’ll find a handful of the world’s leading brands already using them. In fact, a few have been testing them for some time now, and it seems the overriding consensus is that robots provide a competitive edge over establishments which have chosen not to use them.
One man who did decide to test the technology is GM Tom Beedon of the Residence Inn Los Angeles, LAX. He’s been using a robot called ‘Wally’ within the hotel for a few years now and since then has even rolled out more robots in other sister properties. He says, “When I first learned about the Relay I had no idea what to think about it, but then I saw the robot in action and thought it would be perfect for our hotel.”
The ‘Relay’ he refers to is a robot pioneered by robotics company Savioke. It’s the first fully-autonomous indoor delivery robot that works alongside people in dynamic public environments (such as hotels and hospitals), and is able to operate elevators, navigate around obstacles (including people) and deliver various items quickly, safely and reliably.
“I still love watching it navigate through a crowd of people in the lobby. We were concerned it was going to bump into things or run into people but it’s a very sophisticated piece of machinery,” says Tom.
While extremely sophisticated he also adds that the learning curve for how to use the robot was very quick and easy. “The user interface is pretty fool-proof and within minutes of deploying the robot our staff knew how to use it,” he added. So what changes has Wally the Robot made to the hotel since its arrival in 2015?
One perk is that guests no longer have to come downstairs to get their coffee from the Starbucks in the hotel lobby. Wally can deliver it to them which even generates additional revenue for the hotel with a $2 delivery fee. But on a wider level, Tom says the robot has been a great investment both in terms of money, guest satisfaction and staff experience.
“It’s difficult to quantify precisely but looking at all the data and the numbers, I’m confident that conservatively a half a percent boost in our RevPAR index can be attributed to the Relay robot. This measurement goes beyond numbers though. It’s based on smiles and feedback and people checking in at my hotel and saying ‘Is this the hotel with Wally the robot?’ Wally has been a PR magnet with very little effort,” he said.
While they have found perhaps the greatest value in the PR and social media interest surrounding the robot, Wally has also helped the hotel staff greatly. “The robot helps provide ad hoc assistance to our employees. The staff love the assistance it gives and how it delights our guests. What it all boils down to is making people happy. Happier customers make it easier for my employees to do their jobs and it encourages repeat business. Repeat business means higher occupancy so we can hire more staff and so on.”
It’s clear from the above that this particular robot has had a hugely positive impact on the Residence Inn LAX but will it become a trend?
Additional hotel brands such as Yotel, Hilton, InterContinental, Aloft Hotels and more are using them but perhaps there is still a long way to go before it’s the norm. Tom however says they have gone on to successfully install more robots in sister properties but he has yet to see a more advanced version than the Relay.
“We have now installed Winnie at the Embassy Suites LAX, Hannah at our brand new H Hotel LAX, a Curio Collection by Hilton, and we are in the process now as I speak of opening a brand new Hotel Trio in Healdsburg, CA in which we are installing Rose. Ultimately, I do think robots could play a larger role in hotels in the future, but I still haven’t seen anything with more robust capabilities yet,” he concluded.
