“Robots that delivered a burger and fries a few years ago were a high-tech gimmick that gave hotel guests a good laugh,” writes The Wall Street Journal (Aug. 12, 2020). Now, manufacturers are suggesting these machines could help guests stay safe during a global pandemic.
Hoteliers and robotics companies say delivery bots like Sovioke’s Relay are cutting down on potentially unsafe interactions between hotel staff and room guests, by offering contactless room service. And cleaning robots, like Maidbot’s Rosie, are vacuuming hallway floors while cleaning crews spend more time than ever sanitizing rooms.
Before the pandemic, bots at one California hotel chain would typically make 200-300 trips a month, mostly ferrying items like toothbrushes or towels from the reception desk, on to elevators, and up to people’s hotel rooms. Those same bots now make about 700 trips a month, as more guests seek to avoid interactions with hotel staff. And there are new types of robots in development that could help hotel owners during the pandemic. Maidbot vacuuming robots are rolling out wet-cleaning and disinfecting machines to further assist housekeepers in virus-proofing room surfaces.
The use of robots in the hotel industry has concerned some that these machines could eventually be used to replace employees. Many U.S. hotels have reduced staff during the pandemic, and although hotel operators and robotics companies insist robots help rather than reduce staff, robots could limit how much extra labor hotels bring on to meet new sanitation demands.
The robots aren’t always perfect. Children can confuse them by trying to get them to move in too many directions at once, causing the bots to get stuck. And sometimes it takes patience and a few programming tweaks before the robots really learn the layout of the hotel.
Classroom discussion questions:
- How else is technology changing the hotel industry? (Hint: see Ch. 7 in your Heizer/Render/Munson OM text)
- What other tasks might hotel robots perform?