Social distancing robot delivering items to hotel guests

At Hotel Trio in Sonoma County, Calif., Rosé, “the social distancing robot ambassador,” has been entertaining guests for years, even delivering things like towels, pet treats and wine to their rooms.

Rosé is one of seven robots buzzing through the corridors of Marriott and Hilton hotels in California.

“Originally it was a, 'wow'," Michael D’Amodio, vice president of Seaview Investors, said. "It was a way of differentiating ourselves from other hotels in the competition. People were amazed by the technology and seeing this little robot that kind of looks like R2-D2 from Star Wars delivering items to the room.”

Now, in the time of coronavirus, many guests prefer a touchless experience, so these robots have transitioned from a novelty to a necessity, providing some peace of mind to guests.

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Residence Inn LAX's robot Wally has been making so many deliveries, he recently needed a reboot. But D'Amodio maintains Wally is not going to replace any human workers.

“It can’t check people in," D'Amodio explained. "It can’t deliver luggage. It can’t make a restaurant recommendation. It can’t answer the telephone to take a reservation. So, what the robot is, it hasn’t replaced anybody."

Wally, like the other robots, is cleaned after every delivery.

Making deliveries aren’t the only thing robots are useful for during the pandemic. They can also help maintain hotels’ intense cleaning protocols. In Texas, the Westin Houston Medical Center hotel added two, virus-killing robots to help disinfect rooms.

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