As a hotel operator, success or failure ultimately comes down to working out what your guests want and then making sure you provide it.
And with research telling us that Gen Z - those born between 1997 and 2012 - is the generation that’s travelling more than any other, it certainly pays to understand their expectations and ensure you can meet them.
For this age group of “digital natives”, technology is not an add-on but an integral part of life, and that includes when travelling. In fact, that goes for the vast majority of Millennials (born between 1981-1996) too, who have also largely grown up in a digital world.
Millennials and Generation Z combined represent over 60% of global travel spending (according to Statista), and research by Deloitte reveals they demand seamless and personalised digital experiences at every touchpoint. From the planning stages to post-stay feedback, technology underpins their entire journey.
Skift reports that 63% of Gen Z and Millennial travellers plan their trips online (this will largely be on smartphones), while Hilton’s 2024 Trends Report found that 83% of Gen Zers said they wanted to be able to book their trips entirely online. Hilton’s survey also revealed that 84% of Gen Zers wanted to be able to use their personal devices seamlessly while travelling, while three-in-four (74%) said QR codes had improved the dining experience.
Clearly, hotels must invest in tech to appeal to the younger generation of travellers, and there are many solutions out there that can help you boost your tech credentials. However, one option you may not have considered that can make your venue stand out, while creating memorable experiences for guests, is to invest in cobots (or collaborative robots to give them their full title).
Cobots - for room service, restaurant service and cleaning - can bring a real point of difference to hotels as well as improving speed and efficiency of service, two things that really matter to Gen Z. In fact, when Gen Z travel they expect technology in place that delivers convenient, streamlined service, so no wonder they’re the most enthusiastic users of solutions like mobile check-in and check-out, digital concierge, and control of room settings via their smartphones.
You can bet then that having their room service order delivered by a cobot will definitely resonate with Gen Z, as will a cobot arriving at their restaurant table to deliver their food or take away dishes. One of the most common complaints about room service delivery is slowness of service, making SoftBank’s W3 room service cobot the ideal solution, while also bringing a touch of novelty to the experience.
Equipped with a 3D camera and a LIDAR (light detection and ranging) system, similar to the kind of technology used in self-drive cars, the W3 has the capability to communicate with the in-house telephone system and with lifts, enabling it to deliver room service orders autonomously to any floor. As well as being used for food delivery, it can be used to transport towels, linen, an iron, or any items a guest may have forgotten such as toiletries.
SoftBank’s T5 tray delivery cobots also use LIDAR and can really speed up service in your restaurant by taking care of the bussing side of things for staff. That then frees staff up to spend more time in the dining room with guests, ticking the box for another Gen Z travel desire: personalised service.
To find out more about the technological solutions available to your business please contact us, or visit our W3 room service robot, or our T5 tray delivery robot page.