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Online Travel

Smart Robots at CES Have a Lot to Learn Before Hotels End Up Using Them

Andrew Sheivachman

Photo Credit: A screengrab from LG's press conference at CES 2018 in which the company touted robots that might be useful in hospitality. Pictured is David VanderWaal, LG's head of marketing in the U.S. YouTube

Skift Take

Despite some progress, it doesn't seem like robotics will disrupt travel and hospitality any time soon. The human element is too important for hotels, and travelers don't need unnecessary equipment to make their trips even more complicated.

For years, technology companies have been looking to disrupt the hospitality space with robotics technology that can replace human workers for tasks like carting luggage to a guest's room or taking linens to the laundry room. At this year's CES 2018 event in Las Vegas, there were many examples of robots with the potential to disrupt the travel and hospitality sectors. None of them seem remotely close, however, to making a real impact. Perhaps the most high-profile hospitality play came South Korean technology company LG, which featured in a press conference a series of robots aimed at disrupting hospitality. The

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