A Savioke robot delivering items to a hotel guest.
Photo By Liz Hafalia/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
- Hotels across the US are using room-service robots to help ease the effects of the labor shortage.
- The robots deliver food or items to hotel guests and are always available.
- They help hotel staff focus on crucial tasks like operating the front desk, per Fox Business.
Hotels across the US are using room-service robots to deal with staffing issues caused by a perpetual labor shortage.
The robots, created by Savioke, carry out simple tasks such as delivering meals or other items to guest rooms, Fox Business reported.
Savioke CEO Steve Cousins told Fox Business in an interview that the robots allowed hotel staff to focus on crucial tasks, like manning the front desk, at a time when staff levels remain at record lows.
Businesses in many industries are suffering from the effects of the labor shortage. Some have had to hike pay or slash operating hours, due to fewer levels of staff.
In his discussion about the robots with Fox Business, Cousins said: “It’s much more valuable for the front desk staff to be checking people in than to be running stuff up to a room.”
He added: “If the hotel manager has to come out and help you do deliveries, they’re not selling rooms, which is their primary job.”
According to the outlet, the robots are available at any time on any day.
Cousins said the robots do not replace workers but are an added “arsenal,” which hotels count on for additional support. He added that hotels from New York to California have put down orders to purchase the robots.
According to a statement on Savioke’s website, the company “creates and deploys beautifully simple, sophisticated, and friendly service robots.” The machines work safely, securely, and reliably in human environments, the statement added.
Though it’s becoming more common for businesses to use robots to tackle staffing issues, some say that there are drawbacks. These include robots running away from guests wearing lots of jewelry or chatting too much.
