NATIONAL REPORT—Three hotels have opened or are opening soon, including one with robot guides and delivery services.
Sheraton Los Angeles San Gabriel Hotel
The Sheraton Los Angeles San Gabriel hotel is now open, with 288 rooms and suites—and robots.
The hotel partnered with Cheng Chung Design, a hospitality design firm in Hong Kong, which drew inspiration from San Gabriel’s historic Spanish missions to blend earth tones, bronze metal accents and sleek leather furniture with touches of modern elegance.
With the growing Chinese-speaking population of San Gabriel in mind, the Sheraton Los Angeles San Gabriel has partnered with Chinese social media service, WeChat, allowing staff to interact with customers in real time, and becoming the first Sheraton to offer WeChat pay and Alipay. English and Mandarin-speaking travel agents will also connect guests with top-class, customized local tours and luxury car services.
The hotel will also be the first to debut service robots from autonomous mobile company Aethon, programmed to guide guests through the hotel with GPS capabilities, as well as deliver room service. Visitors to the hotel will be greeted by one wayfinding, four-ft.-high TUG robot, and a fleet of seven will use the service elevators to deliver items to guests such as luggage, meals and linens, programmed to ring guestroom phones when they arrive at the door.
Wylder Hotel Tilghman Island
For over a century Harrison’s Chesapeake House on Maryland’s Tilghman Island served as a refuge for politicians, U.S. senators, governors and sports figures from the nation’s capital. Despite its storied past, the hotel fell into despair with the 2008 financial downturn.
Now, Harrison’s Chesapeake House is completely renovated as Wylder Hotel Tilghman Island, and is expected to open in April. The bayside retreat comprises 54 newly designed guestrooms, a new salt-water swimming pool, three food and beverage concepts, 3,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space and 25 boat slips.
The property is the first for Wylder Hotels. “As we grow our portfolio of all-season escapes in unexpected destinations, we’re ecstatic to begin our story as a new hotel brand on Tilghman Island,” said John Flannigan, founder/CEO of Wylder Hotels. “We’re extremely proud to work with the community to revitalize this esteemed property while offering guests modern enhancements and an authentic experience on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.”
Cambria Dallas Downtown
Cambria Dallas Downtown will soon open, bringing a modern hotel experience to Dallas’ historic central business district. The hotel partially opened in late 2017, and will fully open on March 1st.
Located in the Tower Petroleum Building, the hotel will offer 177 rooms within the 23-floor boutique-style hotel. The hotel will have a full-service restaurant and bar, offering three meals daily in a relaxing environment with mid-modern aesthetic.
Cambria Dallas, part of Choice Hotels, is managed by Fillmore Hospitality.