M Social Hotel Auckland has signed a new employee to their roster. Working with KEENON Robotics, the two companies have collaborated over the past year to introduce their newest addition a BUTLERBOT W3 to the hotel team.
Meet H.A.R.I (pronounced Harry) an acronym for Hotel Automated Robotic Implement, Hari is the first BUTLERBOT (room service style robot) announced to New Zealand. Working primarily with the front of house team Hari is stationed by the front desk where guests can get a glimpse of him awaiting his next task.
M Social is a lifestyle hotel brand that embraces technology and offers travelers a fresh, fun and distinctively unique experience. As the time was right in the post-pandemic recovery, the hotel decided to introduce and bring in Hari as part of the robotic concierge to further complement and enhance service efficiency and productivity. The obvious advantages of contactless delivery are of significant advantage to many people, not to mention taking pressure off the overnight team with food and amenities delivery while delivering consistent service level.
“Hari is not a replacement or shortcut to our team or our guest service… he will enhance the guest experience by allowing us to have more face-to-face interaction with our guests and to be more efficient with our time.” – Nigel Edwards, General Manager, M Social Auckland.
Struck down by staffing shortages, Hari has provided a great deal of help for what seem to be simple tasks but can affect the front desk’s workflow along with bringing smiles to the team and intrigue to guests.
With two storage chambers that can simply be divided into 4 separate sections, Hari can fit a wide variety of items from food and drinks from the hotel’s restaurant Beast & Butterflies; to towels and amenities or just about anything the guest may require! It currently can run 4 errands in succession. Hari is interfaced with both the elevator and phone systems which allows him to take the elevator autonomously then alert the guest upon arrival to their room. He will then prompt the guest to open and retrieve their delivery and shuttle off to his next task or back to his station at the front desk for auto recharge.
M Social Hotel is at present talking with KEENON as to how they can further develop future features that may assist in the general security of a hotel and its footprint.
With the successful rollout of Hari, this will set as a great example and help accelerate digitalization and automation for hospitality in New Zealand as it does not only assist with expense control but also guest satisfaction.
“At KEENON, we offer a wide range of robotic technology and solutions for the hospitality industry with an one-stop repair and maintenance after-sales service program. We are delighted Hari is being deployed in M Social where he can help improve the speed, cost-effectiveness and overall guest experience.”- Derren Wong, Head of Sales, New Zealand, KEENON Robotics.
KEENON’s robots are equipped with a self-developed, fully autonomous positioning and navigation system, coupled with highly sensitive perception and obstacle avoidance technologies with an auto-charging function that can readily adapt to complex real-world application scenarios.
Having worked through his two weeks of training, Hari is at present causing a spectacle with guests entering the hotel who are bewildered and enticed by the interesting sight of a robot in a bright, blue suit with a polka-dot bowtie. He is not only here for his good looks, but he has also cemented his place as an integral part of the hotel team, and above all, he is providing services to guests at any time of day or night with no days off, creating the most reliable, contactless and privacy-conscious service experiences.