Which hotel jobs can be automated: a two-day comparison

The question

Which jobs in their hotels can realistically be automated today, which may become possible in the next few years, and could they run a pilot at one of their properties?

What we arranged

• Two days, seven companies: delivery and service robots, floor cleaning, AI reception, smart room systems and food automation
• A Shenzhen hotel that uses robots in daily operations
• Senior management meetings at a delivery robot maker interested in Europe

What they learned

• Delivery and floor-cleaning robots are mature; bathroom cleaning and bed-making are not
• Connection to the hotel management system has to be checked maker by maker
• Smart room systems make most sense for new or renovated rooms

Where it stands

Next steps under discussion: a side-by-side comparison of the makers and a small pilot at one hotel.