A hotel robot: welcoming guests, providing help and making deliveries

A guest assistant, not just a delivery robot

A guest enters a hotel looking for reception, information about the restaurant or the right person to answer a question. Another needs directions; a third needs help contacting a qualified staff member. Service robots can be designed for these tasks, not only for transporting items.

For SAIREX W1, we are exploring the role of a robot host: welcoming people, clarifying what help they need, explaining hotel services, showing directions and, where appropriate, guiding them along an approved route. Passing a question to a staff member is an integral part of this service, not a sign of failure.

The first use case is chosen together with the hotel. It might involve welcoming and informing guests in a defined area, guiding them or making deliveries. The intended outcome for the guest and the way the robot will complete the request should be defined in advance.

Four areas to evaluate

Welcome and information. Greet the guest, clarify their request, explain services and display relevant information. Answers must use up-to-date information approved by the hotel: opening hours, locations and service policies. When information is unavailable, the robot should say so clearly and offer help from a staff member.

Directions and guidance. Explain where a place is, show directions or, where the route has been checked and approved, accompany the guest. Guidance must account for the person's pace, opportunities to stop and a clear end to the route. Showing a map and physically guiding someone are different functions and should be tested separately.

Handing a request to the right staff member. If a question requires a receptionist, concierge or another department, the robot should help the guest reach the appropriate person. The hotel defines responsible staff and contact methods in advance. With the guest's consent, a brief summary can be passed on so they need not start again. The robot must not say that a staff member has been contacted until submission of the request is confirmed; a clear fallback is needed when communication is unavailable.

Delivery and internal logistics. Transporting guest amenities or supplies remains another possible use. Permitted loads, loading procedures, routes and handover must be defined. Transport tasks complement guest service rather than limit the platform's purpose.

These are examples of tasks to evaluate, not claims about features currently available on SAIREX W1.

What to leave out of the first pilot

We would not start with the most difficult loads or unpredictable situations. Open hot drinks, unstable items, valuables or routes involving several uncoordinated access systems add risk and make results harder to assess. Each requires its own transport conditions and checks.

Serving guests does not mean giving the robot unlimited authority. It can be a first point of help while referring disputes, unusual requests and matters beyond its competence to staff. Guests must be able to choose human assistance immediately.

Measure the whole process

An impressive drive or greeting does not yet demonstrate value for the hotel. Before the pilot, establish how the chosen task is handled today. During the pilot, consider the entire guest journey: did they receive correct information, find their destination or obtain staff assistance? For deliveries, assess the full cycle from request to handover.

Choose metrics to match the use case:

• Accuracy and freshness of answers, and how easily guests understand the interaction;
• The share of requests reaching the intended outcome, including successful staff handoffs;
• Actual time to receive assistance or a delivery;
• Total staff time spent on each task.

A planned referral to reception should not be confused with intervention caused by a robot malfunction. The first may be the correct conclusion to the service; the second indicates a need for improvement. Compare metrics under similar workloads, not only during quiet periods.

The SAIREX approach

For W-Series, we view a hotel as a set of specific workflows. The first goal is to choose a bounded task, define the conditions for carrying it out and check the result. Promising savings before making those measurements would be premature.

If you are considering robotics, tell the SAIREX team where guests or staff need help: welcoming, finding information, guidance, contacting a department or deliveries. This starts the discussion with the hotel's needs rather than an equipment list.