Robotic butlers could be coming to a hotel near you
It looks like we're another step closer to having robots take over everything.
On Aug. 20, the Aloft hotel in Cupertino, California, will start a pilot program using a robotic butler (or Botlr) named A.L.O. (pronounced "el-oh"). Guests will be able to call the front desk and request items like extra towels or toothpaste, and a staff member will load it onto the Botlr and send it up to the room. Once the hotel room's number has been punched in, the Botlr makes its way through the hallways and to the elevator using Wi-Fi. If it works, you'll see Botlr fleets at close to 100 properties.
According to CNBC, the University of Oxford released a study saying that "47 percent of U.S. employment is at risk of being replaced by computerization." Starwood Hotels, which owns the Aloft brand, says that the Botlrs are not being introduced to act as substitutes for staff, but rather to make their lives easier by taking over minuscule tasks.
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"It is certainly not replacing our staff but it is augmenting our ability to service our customers," Brian McGuinness, senior vice president for Aloft, told CNBC.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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