STAMFORD, CT—In the 20th century, pop culture visions of the future often included flying cars, robotic maids and colonization of outer space. And while we’re still waiting for hoverboards, Aloft Hotels has introduced a new pilot program in which guests get waited on by a robotic butler.
Named A.L.O., the hotel brand’s first Botlr (robotic butler) joined the team at the Aloft Cupertino last month. A.L.O. can perform both back-of-house and front-of-house duties, including delivering amenities and goods to guests. A.L.O. will facilitate and prioritize multiple guest deliveries, communicate with guests and various hotel platforms, as well as navigate throughout the property.
The brand teamed up with Savioke, a new company that creates autonomous robots designed for the service industry, for the program. “The inception of the robotic butler came from our relationship with neighboring Savioke, who reached out to us to pilot the idea. They approached us earlier this year and now Botlr is on board,” said Brian McGuinness, global brand leader, Starwood’s specialty select brands. He added that Savioke “provides mobile robots that help hospitality businesses provide higher quality service, which is in direct alignment with our values and overall initiative in employing Botlr. Needless to say, it has been an absolute pleasure working with them and we look forward to continuing to work together in the future.”
It took approximately six months to implement the program from the day the idea was first presented by Savioke to the day A.L.O. started on staff (Aug. 20). McGuinness noted that Aloft Cupertino, located in California’s Silicon Valley, was a perfect choice for the program. “Aloft is known for offering future-facing, tech-forward experiences, so it seemed a natural fit to pilot the Botlr program at our Cupertino location,” he explained. The Botlr is also currently under consideration—though not confirmed—to be implemented at Aloft Sunnyvale when it opens at the end of this year.
However, McGuinness noted that the new feature could work in more locations than just Silicon Valley. “Based on the success of the pilot, we will look to roll out at our nearly 100 hotels around the world in 2015 and beyond,” he said.
Currently, the Aloft Cupertino has one Botlr, but as part of the pilot program, the brand will be monitoring it closely to see how many robotic butlers a property might need. “Currently, Botlr is working from 6 p.m.-10 p.m., Monday through Thursday,” said McGuinness. “This timing was decided based on the volume of guests we have checking in to the hotel, so Botlr could easily assist the front desk with small tasks and deliveries while our talent caters to guests that are checking in.”
According to the company, A.L.O. will free up the time of existing staff, enabling them to create a more personalized experience for guests. “Technologies are not designed to replace people, especially at a hospitality company,” said McGuinness. “People are the very core of our business and our talent is the backbone of what we do. This new technology enables our hotel associates to make more time for what they do best: provide exceptional and personalized service for each and every one of our guests.”
McGuinness also noted that training for the staff has been minimal. “Our associates at Aloft Cupertino were excited when they learned about their new cyber associate. Training is quite simple as [using]the Savioke interface is just as easy as using any touchscreen,” he said. When a guest calls the front desk for an item—anything from a can of soda to a candy bar or a toothbrush—an Aloft associate places it inside Botlr and then programs the room number. A.L.O. will then navigate the hotel lobby, elevator banks and make its way to the guest’s room. It then places a call to the room when it arrives outside, the guest opens the door and retrieves the item, and the transaction is complete. “Needless to say, the integration of human and robot has been a lot of fun,” said McGuinness.
Steve Cousins, founder of Savioke, noted that there are always challenges for something this innovative, but Savioke is most curious about how people will react to A.L.O. “To give one example, the robot will be riding the elevator along with hotel guests and will need to somehow communicate that it has arrived at its floor and wants to get off the elevator,” he said. “The robot will be making R2-D2-like sounds to indicate that it would like to get off the elevator, but that relationship—called HRI for Human Robot Interaction—is something we’ll be watching closely.”
McGuinness noted thus far, the overall reaction has been positive. “Guests are quite intrigued when Botlr arrives at their door as it truly represents an amalgamation of childhood wonder, capturing the excitement we all had for the future as children, but finally here and possible now,” he said, before adding, “On the other hand, we have certainly seen a few guests who nonchalantly walk by Botlr as seeing a robot in Cupertino is the norm!”