Robot waiter and AI reception: The future of the hospitality industry

Waiter with cat ears

Such as Barbara Novakthat with your company Simply Robotic offers various robots for gastro and hotels. The seller in the gastro area is the serving robot “Bella”. The device with the cat ears costs around 14,500 euros and comes – like all the company’s robots from China.

The robot waiters would human service staff Not replacing, but could take on unpleasant tasks, such as dusking. “Especially in larger groups, the waiter does not have to go back and forth several times, but the robot brings the dirty plate away and the waiter stays at the table and takes orders for the dessert,” says Novak to the courier.

Robotbutler does the room service

In addition to the robot waiter, Simply Robotic also offers Cleaning machines And even one Robot buttons to. This would be used in hotels and could do the Room service take over when there is hardly any staff on duty. What is already common in China in China “will also be in Austria more and more in demand.

So Simply Robotic was able to turn his turnover from 2023 to 2024 alone Increase 15 percent. Novak itself also uses the robots in the hotel and the two restaurants that they run. In particular, guests with children often only come to the restaurant because of this, many older people are also interested in the high-tech service.

Cocktails from the machine

Also Bernd Garnschröder from the German Bielefeld benefits with his company Cocktailmaker From the shortage of skilled workers in the hospitality industry. He developed the fully automatic cocktail machine 20 years ago and still produces it in Germany. Since Corona, the company has doubled its sales according to its own information.

The advantages of the device, the cocktail made of connected beverage bottles at the push of a button Mixing, lying on the hand for throats: “It is quick and the quality is always the same,” the entrepreneur told the courier. In addition, the machine is not bound at service times. And also the Calculation of the costs Pro drink is easier because the same amount of every ingredient is always used.

Garnschröder offers its cocktail machines for 200 to 500 euros per month for leasing. The purchase price is between 9,000 and 30,000 euros – depending on how many different drinks the device can mix.

Fight against headwind of the bartender

Garnschröder has again and again in the bar industry fight with. “Every bartender demonizes me. Whenever something new comes onto the market, it is demonized first. ” Garnschröder is not afraid that his product could lose their jobs.

Bartkeepers will continue to exist. These should be Take care of guests and offer a showinstead of mixing drinks. “Let your bartender throw bottles and advise customers. The machine can do the cocktail. ”

Ki responds to emails and on the phone

Also with the company Chatlyn Vienna is about giving employees more time for guest care. The company offers a Program for hotelsin which artificial intelligence (AI) automatically responds to chat messages, email suggestions and even calls with customers. With these activities, employees in companies in companies would say according to a survey of the company Two to three hours a day spend.

But not only the efficiency, but also the performance of the AI ​​is Better than that of many human staff. “It is also about the fact that hotel operators do not suffer from the performance of their employees. The AI ​​always gives a quick answer, always the correct answer and the guests don’t get false information, ”says Chatlyn founder and managing director Nicola’s head the courier.

To do this, the program only has to be trained once on the respective hotel. Especially for Seasonal companies with high fluctuation It is a great advantage.

Industry representatives are still skeptical

Although the high-tech helpers are gaining more and more popular, many are domestic businesses are still skeptical.

Service robots, cocktail machines and Co could support – where attached and accepted by the guest – are sensible No real solution For the shortage of skilled workers, the Specialist associations gastronomy and hotel industry the Chamber of Commerce Austria (WKÖ) On the KURIER request.

So the technologies could Repetitive or physical tasks However, it should not be understood as a substitute for qualified specialists. “The soul of the hospitality man remains,” it says.