TECHNOLOGY
Ask Jeeves Switzerland’s first hotel robot is proving a trusty AI
WORDS GEMMA GREENWOOD
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ext time you happen to be staying at Radisson Blu Hotel at Zurich Airport, you will most likely bump into the property’s latest AI addition – JEEVES. The first hotel robot in Switzerland, JEEVES is already delighting guests with contactless deliveries of drinks, snacks and menu items ranging from burgers to pizzas, carefully ushering them to their room without the need for human contact, which midpandemic, is deemed desirable. Developed by Munich technology company, Robotise, JEEVES is marking its debut in Switzerland as
hospitality firms such as Radisson Hotel Group meet demands for safe, efficient and hygienic service solutions. According to Daniel Twerenbold, General Manager & Regional Director Switzerland, Italy, Austria & South East Europe, Radisson Hotel Group, employing JEEVES at the Zurich hotel highlights the increasing relevance of digital transformation and innovation in the day-to-day-operations of the international hotel industry. “When I saw JEEVES for the first
time in a video, it convinced me immediately that with its technical capabilities, the robot could support our guest services and operations team very well. We are very pleased to be working with JEEVES to offer our guests an exclusive, contactless, and secure standard of service,” he says. To ensure that JEEVES can independently reach all 330 rooms and suites of the Radisson Blu Hotel Zurich Airport, the automated elevator control of the Schindler brand has been upgraded. Thanks to innovative cloud technology, the lifts now communicate directly with the Service Robot for the first time, ensuring smooth transport to all floors.
The history of hotel robots Aloft’s butler robot
Hilton’s concierge robot
Henn-na’s all-robot team
In 2014, Aloft Hotels became the first brand to use robot technology, introducing A.L.O — robotic butler or Botlr — at its Cupertino location. The robot can travel the entire hotel to make deliveries. Its primary purpose is to surprise guests with room delivery.
In 2016, Hilton partnered with IBM to create Connie, the resident robot at the McLean hotel in Virginia. Connie (pictured), named after Hilton’s founder, Conrad, is a concierge robot who provides information on nearby attractions, places to eat and hotel details
At this hotel in Nagasaki, Japan, the robot team provides front-desk and concierge services using voice and facial recognition technology, serves drinks in the café and inside your room, a robot called Churi San controls the heating, lighting and more.
APRIL 2021
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