Millennials and Gen Zs were born into a digital world. As digital natives, they’ve lived their lives completely immersed in technology: constantly upgrading to the latest iPhones, the thinnest laptops, and the newest gadgets. They’ve abandoned physical media and store everything in the cloud. They work online… date online… shop online… pay bills online… consume news online… make travel plans online… AND book hotels online. And they do it all from their phones.
When it comes to their hotel stays, they want the same tech personalization. Once in their room, they’re juggling meetings, churning out projects, streaming entertainment at all hours, and especially eating whatever they damn well want, whenever they want, from wherever they want.
Next Generation Travelers Deserve Robots
They may not know it yet, but they want their room service needs delivered by smart, efficient, autonomous robots.
Robots? Yes, robots!
Why? Because, for a quick bite, they’d rather order via Uber Eats, DoorDash, or Grubhub and have it delivered directly to their rooms rather than walk down to the hotel front desk or go out to eat. And because they expect ultra-hygiene and touchless procedures like check-in on their phones, digital room keys, and checking out with one click.
A recent article in HospitalityNet, “Are Hoteliers Finally Realizing That Technology Can Save The Day?”, adds, “Contrary to what some in the industry believe, contactless guest experience… means the full guest experience pre-, during- and post-stay.”
Moreover, according to a European Travel Commission Study on Generation Z Travelers, “As the first digitally native generation, Gen Zers are highly skilled at using tech to satisfy their needs at all stages of their journey, requiring…destinations to adapt their approach to marketing and product development.”
All of this includes room service delivery robots as the new normal way to appeal to the next generation of travelers and to modernize the guest experience. After all, Chekitan Dev, the Singapore Tourism Distinguished Professor of marketing and management at Cornell University’s hotel school said, “High tech is the new high touch.”
One of the Dream Hollywood Service Robots
Robots Create Great Guest Experiences
Robots are go-to tool for hoteliers who really want to “wow” their guests of all ages. As an evolving technology now in worldwide use in the hospitality industry, Savioke pioneered the development of autonomous, sophisticated robots in hotels. Savioke’s Relay+® Service Robots:
Supplement your team so they can focus on improving the guest experience
Increase revenue because many hotels with our service robots have seen room service requests for marketplace, food, beverage, and sundry sales double, even triple
Provide contact-free delivery that is safe, secure, and completely automated
Generate wildly enthusiastic social media by creating countless selfies and videos on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and other platforms
Produce measurable ROI within as little as 4 months, saving tens of thousands of dollars per year by making low-value deliveries, being a cost-effective response to the ongoing labor shortage, and delivering profits.
In addition, when Relay+ isn’t making timely deliveries, it can mingle with the hotel guests.
Relay+ can guide people to popular destinations in the hotel like restrooms or tourist information. It can offer treats while they wait in a long check-in line or offer a little humor by telling corny, but smile-worthy jokes. And Relay+ generates lots of love by eliciting friendly hugs from people who receive deliveries, especially for birthdays at a hotel.
Robots and Tech Are an Accelerator for Business
Robots are at the forefront of tech catalysts for hospitality industry change. In “The 10 Trends That Are Shaping The Hospitality Industry in 2022”, it recommends that hoteliers “exploit technology as an accelerator for business” and service robots do just that. In fact, Relay+ is at the forefront of helping hotels during global labor challenges and revenue short-falls.
Many Hospitality Employees Have Permanently Left
Finally, the industry’s ongoing labor shortage caused by COVID-19 may never be solved. According to Tony Capuano, CEO of Marriott, “20% of employees in travel and tourism globally have permanently left the segment.” Turning to automation with service robots to replace low-value, repetitive tasks like room service is a logical way to supplement your hospitality team.
The Bottom Line
The next generation of travelers has arrived, and they are demanding a technology-enabled guest experience. While embraced wholeheartedly by Millennials and Gen Zs to deliver their food and entertain them, robots also stimulate social media success, increase travel ratings, and drive return visits to the hotels who include them as part of their team.
In short, as the next generation of travelers demands technology personalization, hospitality service robots are to here to fulfill their needs and create an experience they will never forget.