A.L.O. the Botlr is an "on call" robotic operations member that is tasked to deliver amenities to guests in their rooms. Clad in a custom shrink-wrapped uniform with vinyl collar and nametag, this first of its kind robot butler also accepts tips in the form of tweets. It is the hotel's way to enhance its current tech-forward offerings.
Designed by Savioke, a start up from Silicon Valley, Botlr is not created as a labor-saving tool. Aloft Hotels wanted to simply polish its tech-embracing brand with the hope of adding some efficiency at the same time.
"I see this as an enhancement to our customer service," said senior vice president Brian McGuinness of Starwood Hotels' Specialty Select brands. "It's not going to be a replacement for our human talent. As soon as A.L.O. entered the room, we knew it was what we were looking for. A.L.O. has the work ethic of Wall E, the humor of Rosie from The Jetsons and reminds me of my favorite childhood robot, R2-D2. We are excited to have it join our team."
A.L.O. Botlr, otherwise known as SaviOne, is mostly a white robot with high waist. It stands 3 ft. tall and weighs 100 pounds. It rolls about using its four wheels and has a face made up of a 7-inch touch-screen phablet. It also has compartment on top and uses it to carry up to 2 lbs of deliveries to hotel guests. Botlr is 4G and Wi-Fi ready. Apart from the wheels, it can easily navigate the hotel by itself through a Kinect-looking 3D camera, LADR, and sonar.
The robot is the brainchild of CEO Steve Cousins of Savioke. His project was backed by Google ventures and Jerry Yang's AME cloud ventures.
So how does Botlr do his work? When Botlr arrives at the hotel room, an in-room phone call will trigger which should be enough to inform the guests that there's a robot waiting at their door. Guests can communicate with the robot using its "touchscreen" face. However, Botlr has no hand to receive a tip. Instead, it welcomes a tweet from the guest and accepts the hashtag #meetbotlr as a way to "thank" the guests for their approval.
Taylor Cole who is a travel expert from Hotels.com thinks that Botlr is a part of a growing "robotic" trend. "From the drone delivery service offered by the Casa Madrona hotel in Sausalito, to the robotic luggage storage system used by the Yotel in Times Square, we've seen a number of properties utilize innovation and cutting-edge technology to create a unique guest experience. Innovations like these excite many guests and help hotels differentiate themselves from other properties," he said.
