NEWH - Fall 2024 - 64

GUEST PERSPECTIVE
Robotics and AI and Their Impact on
the Hospitality Industry
By KAILEE JORGENSEN, BENICIO BOTELLO, KENDYL WAGNER,
AND DR. FRED DEMICCO, Northern Arizona University
A
rguably the most important pinnacle in the hospitality
industry is unsurprisingly, hospitality, which can
be defined as providing services to other people with
generosity and care. The sole purpose for most clientele
when staying at a hotel, or dining at their favorite restaurant, is
motivated by the genuine experience the staff creates through their
compassion, accommodation, and their
motivation to provide a great customer
experience. Human interactions and
empathy are the cornerstone to almost
any sort of transaction in a hospitality
business, whether that pertains to customer
interactions or workplace culture.
As technological advancements
develop and society progresses, so do
the existing industries. The connotation
of hospitality is currently expanding,
and the discussion around robotics
and artificial intelligence (AI) is growing
larger.
Robotics has transformed the hotel
and restaurant industry by performing
mundane tasks, reducing operating
costs, freeing up human staff, and
reducing the risk of hygiene issues.
Moreover, AI is increasingly being
used to enhance the guest experience
and optimize operations and revenue
through algorithms and personalization.
Robotics
have become increasingly
popular in hotels and restaurants because
they are engineered to perform tasks such as housekeeping,
cooking, or customer service. Implementing robots to perform these
tasks can improve the overall flow of the business by enhancing efficiency,
reducing operational costs, and creating the opportunity for
human staff to occupy more complex occupations. Pepper, a customer
service robot that recognizes guests' emotions, and engages
in conversation, for example, was developed by SoftBank Robotics
and stands at an impressive 4 feet tall. Adopted by over 2,000
companies worldwide, Pepper serves as an innovative assistant,
welcoming, informing, and guiding
visitors. According to SoftBank
Robotics, " Pepper can make personalized
recommendations, help
people find exactly what they're
looking for, sell, upsell and crosssell,
and interact with your human
team as needed, " (SoftBank Robotics
2023). Communicating through
words, eye contact, and even body
language, the humanoid robot has
the ability to engage visitors, and
entertain them, all while gathering
behavioral patterns and feedback
to better
enhance
the
experience
for next time. It can present
location-related
details, menus,
Pepper, a customer service robot developed by SoftBank
Robotics. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
company presentations, and even
automate repetitive tasks typically
performed by human staff. Pepper's
skills can be customized to
deliver informative or promotional
content using speech, motion, and
custom material like videos or images
on its tablet. Currently, Pepper
operates as a receptionist in several offices in the UK, and identifies
visitors through facial recognition, alerts meeting organizers,
and arranges drinks.
Continued on p. 66 〉〉〉
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