Aloft Hotels Introduce Robotic Butlers, Bringing in Better or Worse Customer Experience?

The Aloft Hotel is testing a robotic butler concept in the Cupertino, California location. The chain has no intention to replace any service staff at this point and is planning to bring more "botlers" (robotic butlers) to other Aloft Hotel if the concept proves to be successful.

In general, I believe technology can enhance customer service, but at the same time, technology may also minimize the real human interactions among customers and staff. So, is it a good thing when hotels use machines to serve people? Do customers have a saying on how they will be served (by a real human or by a robot)?

With those thoughts in mind, I wrote two articles on MultiBriefs.com. I believe machine serving people has become a reality, but at the same time, there will be a variety of options (brands) in the future to meet different needs from customers. Customers will be able to choose a hotel that uses machines or uses real human being for customer service.

In your opinions, to which direction will technology take us? Will technology help businesses provide better or worse customer service in the future?

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Is It OK for Hotel Staff to Wear Piercings and Tattoos?

Time has changed. I see more and more college students wearing piercings and tattoos nowadays, but is it OK for hotel staff to wear piercings and tattoos? The answer is “no, no, no.” According a report at USAToday.com, customers across the board do not want to see any hotel workers with pierced eyebrow, pierced tongue, tattooed arm, or nose ring. Some may argue that tattooed and pierced workers may seem more acceptable in edgy boutique hotels as compared to the big franchised hotels, but the survey results did not find any differences among a variety of lodging products. Many respondents believe people who wear visible tattoos and piercings are taking a high risk of their professional lives. If you stay in a hotel, do you mind being served by tattooed and/or pierced staff? What if you are the one who makes the hiring decision? References: USAToday.com: http://tinyurl.com/linchikwok08042010 Picture was downloaded from http://tinyurl.com/linchikwok08042010P

In what ways will AI affect restaurant operations?

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Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

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