Edwardian Hotels London launches robot concierge
Guests can text the ‘virtual host’ to order room service, request information about local bars and restaurants, and even send complaints.
Edward has been designed to act as a ‘self-service’ concierge for guests, but can call for human assistance when needed.
The bot is available at 12 Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotels, including Heathrow and the Vanderbilt in South Kensington, London.
It forms part of a wider project by the hotel group to cater to an increasingly digitally-savvy guest.
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“It is imperative that we evolve our guest experiences to meet growing consumer demand for more digital interactions,” said Michael Mrini, director of information technology at Edwardian Hotels London.
“Edward is a fun and personalised way for our guests to enhance their experience and engage with us.”
The bot – designed by Aspect software – is able to respond to natural speech patterns rather than requiring guests to input specific commands.
Joe Gagnon, chief customer strategy officer at Aspect, said: “Texting and messaging will very soon become the simple and central entry point for the entire customer service ecosystem.
“It’s much more convenient for us to order room service, or get recommendations from Edward on the local tourist hotspots with a text.”
Robo-lution
Edward is the latest example of hotels cutting down on human interaction in favour of technology.
Guests at Aloft Hotels can now order room service and hangover recovery kits by texting emojis to staff.
Starwood allows visitors to bypass the front desk completely by checking in on their phone and using their smartphone as a room key.
Acording to a Travelzoo study robot butlers and bartenders could be staffing hotels by 2020, with almost two thirds of the public ‘comfortable’ with the idea of dealing with non-human employees.
