InterCon rolls out robot staffer

InterContinental Hotels Group launches a hotel delivery robot at the Crowne Plaza San Jose-Silicon Valley hotel.
The robot, named Dash, was created by Savioke, makers of the Relay robot. Based in Santa Clara, Savioke specializes in robot solutions for the hospitality industry.
According to the chain, Dash will ?enhance the guest experience through providing quick and seamless delivery of snacks, toothbrushes and other amenities to hotel guests?.
Approximately three-feet tall and weighing less than 100 pounds, Dash is designed to travel at a human walking pace and can independently navigate between floors, even calling the hotel elevator using a special Wi-Fi connection.
Dash is Savioke?s latest version of its autonomous delivery service featuring automatic docking, improved autonomy and an all new design enabling Savioke to scale in response to demand.
When Dash arrives at the guestroom, it phones the guest to announce its arrival, delivers the requested items, and makes its way back to the front desk where it can dock itself into its own charging station.
Gina LaBarre, vice president, Americas brand management, at Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, says: ?Given the hotel?s location in the heart of Silicon Valley, I expect our guests to be impressed by the technological sophistication of the robot.”
Steve Cousins, CEO of Savioke says: ?We?re excited to see the updated version of our Relay robot find a home at this Crowne Plaza hotel. With more than 300 guestrooms, this is the largest hotel to use our robot technology, and as Dash becomes a fixture at the hotel we look to hearing some great stories from guests and staff alike.?
Based on testing at the Milpitas hotel, the Crowne Plaza brand will determine whether or not to roll out the robot at other properties.