{"id":84859,"date":"2019-04-08T15:48:24","date_gmt":"2019-04-08T13:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/?p=84859"},"modified":"2021-01-18T17:55:31","modified_gmt":"2021-01-18T16:55:31","slug":"high-tech-robots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/en\/high-tech-robots","title":{"rendered":"High-tech and robots on every hotel floor"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Japanese Henn Na hotel in the Hen-Ten-Bosch theme park near Nagasaki recently hit the headlines with its redundancy plan. The establishment did not hesitate to brutally sack half its staff because of deplorable service. No union discontent<\/strong> in the face of this mass redundancy: the employees in question were nothing more than robots, some struggling to navigate the corridors, while others had the nerve to wake up customers in the middle of their sleep, confusing snoring with voice commands...\".The voice-recognition service robots installed in the rooms have been removed,...<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Japanese Henn Na hotel in the Hen-Ten-Bosch theme park near Nagasaki recently hit the headlines with its redundancy plan. The establishment did not hesitate to brutally sack half its staff because of deplorable service. No union discontent<\/strong> in the face of this mass redundancy: the employees in question were nothing more than robots, some struggling to navigate the corridors, while others had the nerve to wake up customers in the middle of their sleep, confusing snoring with voice commands...\".The voice-recognition service robots installed in the rooms have been removed, as they were not equipped with artificial intelligence and required frequent software updates. We are now focusing on technologies that can increase productivity<\/em>\"says H.I.S Hotel Holdings.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO: \"Robots in hotels, now!<\/span><\/a><\/h4>\n

Having been through the wringer at the hotel robotisation<\/strong>The H.I.S group is continuing to develop its concept in major Japanese cities, and soon in Taipei and New York. At Henn Na Ginza, in the Japanese capital's business district, for example, the welcome is more polite and corporate, with two humanoid women acting as receptionists. In the sleekly designed rooms, a high-tech wardrobe designed by Korea's LG defrosts hanging suits in barely an hour, for an impeccable finish before you set off to meet your Japanese counterparts, who are always a stickler for etiquette.<\/p>\n

\"Henn\" means both \"strangeness\" and \"evolution\" in Japanese, and this concept reflects the surprise awaiting travellers, as well as the ongoing transformation of the hotel industry. Like an invitation to the sector to rediscovering the pioneering spirit<\/strong> of its beginnings. In 1889, for example, the luxurious Savoy in London boasted the first electric lifts and lighting. The ultimate luxury for the time, the suites were equipped with baths. Then, in the Roaring Twenties, came the first radios, at the Park Plaza in Boston, and telex and air conditioning at the Bristol in Paris. Then came television, the minibar...<\/p>\n

In recent years, this long tradition of innovation has tended to run out of steam in the face of the frenetic pace of technological innovation aimed at the general public. \"But over the last five years, the hotel sector has taken a turn for the worse. digital shift<\/strong><\/em>It's a good thing that we've got the right people in place,\" says Anton Lissorgues, senior manager and leader in the hotel, tourism and catering sector at Mazars France. In 2014, the Aloft hotel in Cupertino - whose proximity to Apple's headquarters is no doubt a factor - also caused a sensation when it hired its first Botlr, a little R2D2-like robot capable of calling the lift using a WiFi connection and delivering drinks, toothbrushes and club sandwiches to the floors. But it is above all in Asia that robotisation is most widespread, not to say commonplace.<\/p>\n

\u00c0 Singapore<\/a>In France, nearly 400 hotels already have high-tech employees, some of whom are in direct contact with guests, while others relieve staff of tedious tasks, such as pushing trolleys full of towels. \"We also have beverage dispensing robots<\/strong>These robots have three compartments and can make several deliveries to different floors in a single journey. The latter, with three compartments, can make several deliveries to different floors in a single journey.<\/em>We're delighted to be working with Techmetics,\" says Satya Chandrakumar, Business Development Manager at Techmetics, which offers its solutions at the Marina Bay Sands, the Sofitel, the Park Avenue Rochester and the Fraser Suites in the City-State. \"We have a bright outlook for 2019 and 2020, with a number of projects in the pipeline,\" she continues. Ultimately, the return on investment of these robots <\/em>(Editor's note: at a unit cost of between 50,000 and 65,000 US dollars for a seven-year lifespan) is less than one year, as they are replacing three jobs.<\/em>\"A fascinating or terrifying prospect for the future. In any case, it's the answer that Singapore's hotels have found to cope with the growth in tourism combined with a shortage of manpower.<\/p>\n

\"At<\/a>
At the Japanese Henn Na hotels, humanoids are in charge of check-in.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Caretaker robots<\/h2>\n

But is this development to the liking of nomadic executives? Mazars recently conducted a survey of 750 travellers on their expectations regarding new technologies. \"Of the ten services tested, robots came last<\/em>says Anton Lissorgues. It's not a priority expectation. On the other hand, meeting a concierge robot is an experience you can tell your friends and family about. The added value for the customer is fairly low, but very important for the school's image.<\/strong><\/em>\"<\/p>\n

Robots may be the official showcase for high-tech in the hotel industry, but the sector keeps a close eye on all the latest trends. One of the most striking examples is the appearance in rooms of connected speakers<\/strong> such as Amazon Echo or Google Home. Even though almost 15 % of American homes are already equipped with them, these solutions are still far from having been massively adopted worldwide. However, as soon as the Internet of Things takes off, the hotel industry is already seen as a promising sector for this type of product.<\/p>\n

In 2018, Amazon launched the Alexa for Hospitality programme, named after the voice assistant developed by the global e-commerce giant. Powered by artificial intelligence, the connected speakers take the place of the receptionist to answer simple questions about the operation of the establishment, for example giving the restaurant's opening times or the wi-fi code. Without picking up the phone<\/strong>With Alexa, travellers can also order room service, book a table at the restaurant or a massage at the spa, and the speaker can also be used to call for help if they feel unwell. A partner of Amazon since last summer, the Marriott group is testing the Alexa solution in some of its hotels, adding a special feature to all the above advantages. Marriott is a partner of TED conferences, so all you have to do is ask the speaker to broadcast a TED Talk on creativity or leadership, depending on your mood, and it will do the job.<\/p>\n

But that's not the whole point of these connected speakers. \"Alexa, open the curtains<\/strong>\"Turn off the light\", \"Don't forget to wake me up at a certain time\": from the comfort of their beds, travellers are transformed into the Alexander the Blessed of the 21st century.e<\/sup> century, passing off desires as orders. Connected to the home automation system installed in the bedroom, the speakers allow guests to take control by voice. They can even ask Alexa to produce relaxing 'white noise' to help them fall asleep.<\/p>\n