Cupertino Aloft Hotel Beta Testing Room Service Robot
Posted on August 12, 2014
Some people are worried that the rise of robots will herald the end of civilization, as described in the Terminator films. Others are concerned about robots replacing humans, leading to even higher unemployment. But for the Starwood hotel chain, robots might be a popular addition to its hotels.
Starwood is currently beta testing the use of room service robots at the Aloft Hotel, which is located near the Apple campus in Cupertino. The thinking is that the kind of people who are staying in a hotel in Cupertino embrace new technology and won't be alarmed if a robot instead of a human delivers them toothpaste at 2:00 am.
On August 20th the Aloft Cupertino will roll out the Botlr, which is a robotic bellhop. Botlr was designed by Savioke, a Silicon Valley startup. The Botlr will be used to supplement room service staff for the small, endless requests sent in by hotel guests: for toothpaste, an extra towel or whatever else you may need during your stay.
The bot has its own uniform which was custom shrink-wrapped for the bot and includes a snappy bow tie. The bot weighs just under 100 pounds and stands around three feet high. It can roam the halls at 7 miles per hour and even use the elevator. So how does it work?
You're in your room and you can't find your cell phone charger. So you call down to the front desk and they send up the Botlr. It calls your phone when it is outside. You answer the door, push the button and the top of the bot opens up. You retrieve the cell phone charger. You don't have to tip a bot. Instead the Botlr's screen will ask you if you got what you wanted and to rate him. If you give him a good rating, he'll dance for you. It's unclear what happens if you give him a bad rating. Assuming all goes well, Botlr returns to base and plugs himself back in to recharge.
Service bots which can perform simple functions have been in use in hospitals and corporations for years. But this is the first time the luxury hospitality industry has tried out a service bot which will interact with guests. The Aloft Hotels pride themselves on being technically innovative. If guests like the Botlr, you can expect to see them zipping around hotels in the future, delivering much needed items to hotel guests. We just hope no AI expert with a sick sense of humor and mad coding skills is staying at the Aloft this month.
Here's the Botlr in action: