Meliá Hotels International and the startup Wiongo have launched a pilot project at the Sol Katmandu Park & Resort hotel in Magalluf with the help of four robots in the buffet service with the room team. The use of robots as support for room staff has been very well received by both customers and the hotel employees involved, avoiding the daily load of 167 kg and saving each waiter 33 minutes a day dedicated to moving that weight around the hotel facilities, improving the working conditions and allowing them to focus to a greater extent on customer service.
Following the success of this implementation at Sol Katmandu Park & Resort, Meliá has confirmed that it will continue to focus on Mallorca as its pioneering destination in the implementation of robotic solutions. With the help of Wiongo, the hotel company is evaluating new implementations of robots to support staff in departments such as floors or for room service and delivery of amenities, among others.
Meliá’s director of Hotel Technologies, Tomeu Fiol, explained, “the tourism sector has great potential to spearhead innovation and, thanks to the diversity of jobs in the sector, it is the perfect place to pilot implementations”.
Wiongo said that in the case of the implementation at Sol Katmandu Park & Resort, “thanks to the robots, it is easier to take on the workload peaks typical of more intense schedules and focus on giving a more personal treatment to customers”.
The tourism industry is all too aware that rising costs and shortages of available labour are major problems facing the hotel industry. Whether it is the potential use of autonomy to eliminate some tasks like food delivery and cleaning public spaces or co-bots to assist associates in becoming more efficient and productive, robots are a potential part of the solution to staffing challenges.