Will Robots Run the Hotels of the Future?
Robots are generally the preserve of the science fiction movie – whether helpful ones, like R2D2 in Star Wars (1977), or not-so-helpful ones, like the human-appearing android in Alien (1979).
If robots were to run our hotels, we'd definitely want nice helpful ones like R2D2.
Yet far from being a fantasy, some of the world's biggest hotel chains are working on robotic assistants to serve their guests.
In fact, basic hotel automation has been around for some time. France's Formule 1 Hotels cut back staffing costs by using a hole-in-the-wall check-in system – and that was three decades ago. You can move into your F1 room without exchanging a single word or glance with another human being.
But hotel robotics are changing fast. Starwood Hotels, for example, has been trialling robotic butlers. Given this week's announcement that the firm is to merge with Marriott International, there may be even more resources for such experiments.
Crown Plaza Silicon Valley, too, now delivers snacks, toothbrushes and other items to guests with Dash, a three foot high robot that moves between floors independently. That's right, it knows how to use the lift. It calls the guest in question just before it arrives, delivers the requested items, then returns to its docking station by the front desk to re-charge.
Quantum of the Seas – a Royal Caribbean cruise ship – takes its robotic offerings even further. There are numerous automated facilities on the vessel, but the most impressive is arguably the robotic bar tender which can mix you a cocktail before your very eyes. While these machines look like they should be building a Toyota somewhere – and presumably aren't big on small talk – they are nothing if not impressive. Sadly for the spend-conscious among us, they still request a tip!
But surely we're a long way from seeing a completely robot-run hotel? Actually no. Japan's Henn-na hotel has three robots who check in guests, one of which is a blinking, 'breathing' dinosaur. What's more, the robots speak English, Japanese and Korean.
The Human Touch?
At Henn-na you never see a single human being during your stay – or at least that's the idea. While this is impressive from a certain viewpoint, it does mean that rooms are not cleaned as standard and attract an additional fee for someone to come and clean them the old fashioned way. And if a review of the hotel in the Guardian is anything to go by, Henn-na still requires rather a lot of human interaction. When the journalist tried to check in, for example, a real person appeared to take their passport.
The boss of Henn-na, Hideo Sawada, says he wants to reduce manpower in hotels by 90 per cent.
However, it looks like humans are still required to run a hotel properly, even in tech-loving Japan. And for hotel workers and those of us who still like the human touch, that might be a good thing.
Insurance for Robotic Mishaps?
Unless the hotels of the future are staffed by creepy androids-in-disguise like Ash from Alien, or the spooky HAL 9000 from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, robots shouldn't pose any additional risks to travellers.
But whether you are served by a robot during your next hotel stay or not, it's important to protect yourself with a comprehensive annual or single trip insurance policy. Cancellations, curtailments, loss of money/cards, illness, injury and theft – these are just some of the risks all travellers face when they take a trip overseas.
Learn more about starttravel.co.uk's great value travel cover.
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