Artificial intelligence nowadays is a widely used technology in many industries including tourism. The Hilton hotel took the use of this technology to another level when they introduced their new concierge Connie, a robot.
Connie who is named after the founder of Hilton Worldwide Conrad Hilton, is the result of a collaboration between Hilton worldwide and IBM. The software of IBM’s supercomputer Watson, who became famous by beating human beings in the popular game show Jeopardy, formed the base in the development of Connie (Misset Horeca, 2018).
Hilton worldwide is testing Connie at the Hilton McLean hotel in Virginia where it is stationed at the reception to help guests with questions ranging from directions to restaurant recommendations. The two feet tall robot is able to use movement and body language as well as different emotions through colour differences in its eyes (Trejos, 2016).
According to Hilton executive vice president of global brands Jim Holthouser the purpose of using robots such as Connie is not to replace human employees and thus reduce labour costs. Instead the focus is on robots and humans working side to side in order to deliver a premium service level and thus increase customer satisfaction (Trejos, 2016).
Even though this might be the aim initially. It is far from unthinkable that that in the future, robots will be replacing human employees. Robots have several characteristics that make them more attractive them human employees. In the service industry they could resolves the problem of service inconsistency caused by the unreliable nature of human beings. Robots will never have a bad day due to personal circumstances and can guaranty the same service level across all customers which is something that can never be achieved with human employees. Thereby, the reduction in labour costs can be a significant advantages especially in labour intensive industries.
References
Misset Horeca. (2018). Hilton Worldwide introduceert robotconciërge Connie. [online] Available at: https://www.missethoreca.nl/hotel/nieuws/2016/03/hilton-worldwide-introduceert-robotconcierge-connie-101233337?vakmedianet-approve-cookies=1&_ga=2.167092669.2004095697.1537262870-726953426.1537262870 [Accessed 18 Sep. 2018].
Trejos, N. (2016). Introducing Connie, Hilton’s new robot concierge. [online] Eu.usatoday.com. Available at: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/travel/roadwarriorvoices/2016/03/09/introducing-connie-hiltons-new-robot-concierge/81525924/ [Accessed 18 Sep. 2018].
Hi Daphne,
Thank you for sharing this interesting post on the use of robots in the hotel chain. I agree that robots may replace human employees, yet this may take some time. For example, while working at Deloitte I ran into one of the AI projects regarding socio-bots. ‘Zorgrobot Alice’ was introduced to help three elderly women beat their loneliness (see https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ikbenalice). In this trial, the robots talked with the women and helped by reminding them of basic information. Yet, the responses of the robot are not always human-like. When the robot asks if the lady is lonely, she answers: ‘Yes, I do feel lonely sometimes.’ All the robot says in return is ‘That is a pity.’ This indicates there is a lot to learn before a robot can genuinely replace humans. The answers Alice gives are programmed and cannot by far outrun the human interaction a social worker would give. Furthermore, this robot cannot give medication, help elderly get up from a chair or cook a meal. Maybe we will have robots that are strong, tall and smart enough to do these things in the future, but in my opinion this is still far, far away.
Best regards,
Moreen
Thank you for the raising this question.
Personally, I believe that robots will not replace human, especially in those industries that require communication with people and such human traits as curiosity, trust, self-awareness, touch, sense of humor (1).
I would compare this question to currently booming industry of liquid foods. It let people get nutrients without sitting down for a meal and save a lot of time. However, social aspect of having meal with friends and relatives will not allow this trend to satisfy the needs of people.
People require personal contact and interaction with real people. I do not see a lot of robotics working in hotels, restaurants, schools and other fields where clients value feelings and services. The industries in which the accuracy and precision are the most important features can benefit from robots. However, this is only a machine and can not replace a human.
(1) WOLFE, F. (2018). Suppose robots replace humans in hotels. Hotel Management (21582122), 233(7), 18.