There is no industry where we are not promised that robots will eventually replace humans. For the (presumed) happiness of customers and to the great despair of employees in the sector who are legitimately afraid of losing their jobs and also see a certain vision of customer service disappear. The hotel and restaurant industries are of course among the sectors concerned.
Even robots can get fired
A few years ago in Japan, the Henn Na hotel decided to go 100% robotic. At first it worked. At the beginning, the hotel employed 80 robots, then, given the positive reactions of the customers, 243 robots were working in the property. After 3 years of experience the verdict is in: half of the robots have been fired. What is interesting is the explanation given by the hotel.
On the face of it, the 100% option may not be the stuff of dreams, but it may seem attractive in a certain context, for a certain value proposition. Especially when we don’t use them and we are made to believe in their potential. As the hotel’s management admits, “it’s only when you really use them that you see their limits”. In other words, as we at TravelGuys believe:
1°) There are areas where they will never do as well as a human.
2°) There are points in the customer journey where a little human touch is good.
3°) The human can be in demand of human relationships.
4°) Using robots to have robots is a gimmick.
5°) When the robot’s promise is not clear, the human asks too much of it and ends up being disappointed.
6°) Never take the customer’s curiosity in front of the novelty for the 100% validation of a concept and even less its generalization.
The equation positioning / use of the robot
At TravelGuys we are curious about anything that can improve the customer experience. We are interested in everything that contributes to the digitalization of this experience, which does not mean that we “buy” everything or that we believe in everything.
For example, the ability to check-in and check-out on a cell phone without having to go through the reception desk (or to spend the minimum amount of time there at check-in) seems to us to be essential as long as the “human” option remains available when specific assistance is needed or for customers who just prefer to talk to a human.
The room service operated by a robot as it is done for example at Aloft? Why not, as long as it doesn’t slow down the service, as long as the orders arrive at the right room and as long as it doesn’t detract from the overall experience of the hotel in relation to its DNA, its brand, its positioning. At Aloft yes, at the St. Regis no !
The smart room as envisioned at IHG? Up to a certain point in the respect of the private life and by avoiding to fall in the gadget trap.
In our opinion, there are two factors that determine how far we can go in digitizing the customer experience in hotels: on the one hand, the relevance to the property’s DNA and positioning, and on the other, the reality of the added value in terms of service or experience.
The real question is not “robot or not” but “robots yes but where?
Photo : Hotel robots by MONOPOLY919 via Shutterstock
