Meet “Dash” — IHG’s Robotic New Employee

International Hotels Group is now welcoming a new staff member — a delivery robot named Dash.

Welcome to the International Hotels Group (IHG) team, Dash! Last week, IHG announced that a new delivery robot is in operation at the Crowne Plaza San Jose-Silicon Valley in California.

The new robotic staff member’s name is Dash, and he is three feet tall and weighs about 100 pounds. Dash, created by Savioke, rolls along at a human speed of travel and can connect to Wi-Fi to call an elevator up to his floor. He manages completely independently, delivering toiletries, snacks and other amenities to guest rooms.

“We are delighted to introduce Dash to our guests at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Milpitas,” said Gina LaBarre, vice president of Americas brand management at Crowne Plaza. “Given the hotel’s location in the heart of Silicon Valley, it is a natural fit to enhance our service delivery program with the addition of the latest in robot technology … Crowne Plaza hotel team members are also excited to explore new, innovative ways to serve our guests using Dash.”

When a request is placed for something, staff loads up Dash with the item, and he travels to the room in question. He then calls the room, delivers the item and then heads back to the front desk and docks himself into a charging station, where he will remain until the next request.

This is not the first time robots have replaced humans in the hotel industry. A robotic bellhop — Botlr, also designed by Savioke — joined the Aloft Hotel in Cupertino, Ca. last year, and a hotel staffed entirely by robots recently opened in Nagasaki, Japan.

[Photo: Savioke]