Singapore’s Hotel Jen Debuts Asia’s First Robot Butlers
Kristen Amiet is a previous AWOL editor, bona fide travel…
With robots already responsible for everything from airport check-ins and pizza delivery to dinnertime entertainment, they’ve stepped up to lend a mechanical hand to hotel customer service staff: This week, Asia’s first robot butlers made their debut at two Singapore hotels.
[related_articles]48249,25489[/related_articles]The two Hotel Jen properties are home to Jena and Jeno, who’ll be stationed in the lobby at all hours, except for the times they’re busy making room-service deliveries to guests. Both have been fitted with cute tuxedos in the chain’s signature pink and turquoise colours.
The robots stand around 1m tall and can navigate the hotels’ halls and elevators and make phone calls unassisted. They move at a pace of 2.5km/h, around half the average human walking speed, and are fitted with technology that allows them to steer around people and obstacles without missing a beat.
“Hotel Jen is proud to be the first brand in the Shangri-La group to introduce this technology,” Cetin Sekercioglu, executive vice president of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, said in a media release. “The new ‘colleagues’ will be great team players in getting important things done well and delivered in Jen’s distinctive style.”
Already operational in 70 businesses across the globe, the Savioke-designed robots have completed 150,000 autonomous deliveries since they were first deployed in 2014.
You can see Jena and Jeno in action at Hotel Jen Orchardgateway and Tangling Singapore.
(All images courtesy of Hotel Jen)
[qantas_widget code=SIN]Check out Qantas flights to Singapore.[/qantas_widget]Kristen Amiet is a previous AWOL editor, bona fide travel addict, sometimes whisky drinker and full-time breakfast food enthusiast.