hotel sky robot staff

Image: Supplied/ Hotel Sky

i-Robot at your service: Sandton hotel adds robots to staff component [watch]

Meet Lexi, Micah and Ariel: Hotel Sky is the first hotel in Africa to use robots to deliver concierge services to its guests in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection.

hotel sky robot staff

Image: Supplied/ Hotel Sky

While several hotels in Sandton have not yet had to implement new ways of operating due to having closed their doors back in March last year, Hotel Sky has adopted a new approach to its operations and is welcoming more guests than many of its competitors thanks to the contactless service provided by its robotic staff members.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic threw most industries into turmoil. The hospitality and  tourism sectors which are high-touch, service-oriented industries have been dealt a blow by a huge drop in demand for their services, as well as being required to adjust the way they do things.

Image: Supplied/ Hotel Sky

HOTEL SKY EMBRACES ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY

When Hotel Sky opened its doors at the end of 2020, it decided to acquire and deploy three robots to attend to its guests’ needs in an effort to reduce contact between hotel employees and guests.

Hotel Sky delivers contactless services with robots. Image : Lorne Philpot

According to News24, the hotel had intended to deploy robots throughout the hotel prior to the arrival of COVID-19.  However, the onset of the pandemic has sped up the rollout of services that are provided by the hotel’s robots.             

ROBOTS PROVIDE SAFE CONTACTLESS SERVICES

Businesses providing services in the hospitality and tourism sectors are required by law to limit interaction between personnel and staff, in an effort to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

INQ reports that Hotel Sky currently has three robots onsite to attend to its guests. The robots perform tasks such as the delivery of room service orders and providing concierge services to guests.  This reduces the need for interaction between humans and therefore complies with national COVID-19 regulations for the hospitality sector.

NEED FOR TWEAKING ROBOTIC DATABASES  

The robotic-supplied services still have a way to go since the robots do not yet have comprehensive databases which enable them to provide answers to all the queries which guests may have.  

A hotel employee explained that the robotic databases are constantly being updated so that the robots are better able to answer the range of questions that guests put to the robots.