Marriott and Hilton Hotels in California Are Using Robots for Room Deliveries
Automated technology keeps hospitality areas safe during pandemic
Hilton and Marriott locations across California are taking extra precautions when it comes to staff-to-guest interactions by introducing robots that deliver groceries, wine, towels and even pet treats to customers.
Hotel Trio, a Marriott hotel in Healdsburg, Calif., is employing its social distancing robot ambassador, Rosé, which is programmed with the hotel map, embedded with technology to communicate with the elevator and phone systems, and able to be at a guest’s room in five minutes.
“For guests who prefer contactless deliveries,” said Scott Satterfield, general manager of Hotel Trio, in a statement, “Rosé provides them with peace of mind as she can deliver items to their suite.”
Guests can receive deliveries by placing them through the front desk, and within moments will be greeted by Rosé, which is sanitized after each room visit.
A similar robot at LAX’s Embassy Suites named Winnie is serving the same purpose, and the hotel reported in a statement that, as of the end of June, more than 60% of guests were engaging with it. H Hotel Los Angeles and Homewood Suites by Hilton Los Angeles International Airport share a building, along with their own robot, Hannah, to deliver food from their lobby eatery to guests.
Both robots were already being used by the hotels to engage and entertain visitors, but didn’t serve many purposes otherwise. When the pandemic struck, the fun gadgets became necessary social distancing tools.
A representative from Hotel Trio noted in a statement that the robot enhances customer experience without replacing the jobs of real people since it is unable to perform other tasks at the hotel such as cleaning rooms or carrying luggage.
Many hotels are taking a different approach to robot room cleaning, though: They’re using UVC robots, which are designed to kill Covid-19 particles rapidly by mapping out hotel floor plans and cleaning each room with high-powered UV light. Teklight, in partnership with UVD Robots, and MIT, in conjunction with Ava Robotics, are creating and distributing models to make this possible. The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., is currently using UVC robots, while the InterContinental Hotels Group is beginning to use the technology at its properties, including a Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains, N.Y.
