A hotel stafed by robots? It’s already happened in Japan’s Henn na Hotel, but don’t expect it to be the future, says Juliana Shallcross, tech correspondent for Hotels magazine. “Robots will pick up the slack in the form of concierge, room service and housekeeping”, she says. “But hotels still pride themselves on human interaction.”
Ferret, of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, argues that tech could dehumanise the relationship with the guest if not used correctly. “What excites me more is what AI can bring through the use of data to create a more personalised journey,” he says.