Raphael Thys
The Rolling Hills Hotel is employing the robot for evening room service. The robot is equipped with a deep learning algorithm that recognizes its surroundings and people, automatically opening its storage compartment when it detects the recipient. By HTN Staff - 2.8.2023
Hyundai Motor Group has started a pilot delivery service program using autonomous robots based on its Plug & Drive (PnD) modular platform at a hotel located in the outskirts of Seoul.
The delivery robot consists of a storage unit integrated on top of a PnD driving unit. Alongside the loading box used to deliver items, a connected screen displays information for customers.
First shown at CES 2022, the Group’s PnD modular platform is an all-in-one single wheel unit that combines intelligent steering, braking, in-wheel electric drive and suspension hardware, including a steering actuator for 360-degree, holonomic rotation. It moves autonomously with the aid of LiDAR and camera sensors. An integrated storage unit allows the robot to transport products to customers.
By adding the autonomous driving capability, the PnD-based robot can find the optimal route within the area to deliver packages to recipients. It can recognize and avoid fixed and moving objects and drive smoothly, providing a fast delivery time.
The Rolling Hills Hotel is employing the robot for evening room service from 8 PM to 10 PM. Guests can use Kakao Talk to place orders and track delivery progress in real-time. The robot is equipped with a deep learning algorithm that recognizes its surroundings and people, automatically opening its storage compartment when it detects the recipient. It can also communicate through appropriate screen messages and in a suitable tone, and it is capable of avoiding obstacles and collisions in narrow hotel corridors.
The robot is connected to the elevators, enabling it to move between floors without human assistance and to deliver goods via the optimal route. Hyundai has partnered with Woowa Brothers, a Korean delivery company, to enhance the technology and services of their last-mile delivery robots.
“PnD-based delivery robots allow quicker delivery times with improved safety through the use of autonomous driving technology, including fast obstacle avoidance capabilities,” said Dong Jin Hyun, Head of Robotics LAB of Hyundai Motor Group. “We plan to keep upgrading mobility services, convenience, safety and affordability for customers through our pilot programs.”
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The hotel currently has two AirOWater Atmospheric Water Generators (AWG) units, which produce a range of 500 to 1,000 liters of water in one day, enough to cover all of the property's drinking water requirements. By HTN Staff - 2.9.2023
The United Arab Emirates, known for its opulent cities and extravagant resorts, may give the impression that water scarcity is not a concern. However, the reality is that the country faces a serious depletion of its water resources. According to a report from the Emirates Industrial Bank, the UAE has the highest per capita water consumption in the world.
Over the past thirty years, the water table in the region has declined by about one meter per year, putting the UAE on track to exhaust its natural freshwater resources in just fifty years.
To help address the problem, Delta Hotels by Marriott in Dubai Investment Park has launched a sustainability initiative aimed at transforming humidity in the air into sustainable drinking water for hotel guests. The technology, build by India-based AirOWater, is designed to target the global shortage of clean drinking water and replace plastic by providing an innovative and sustainable solution to the increasing demand for fresh drinking water.
The hotel’s collaboration with AirOWater aligns with the brand’s stated commitment to sustainability and its pillar of providing free bottled water to guests. As a result of this collaboration, Delta Hotels by Marriott, Dubai Investment Park, will be the first Marriott International property in the Middle East to work with AirOWater.
The hotel currently has two AirOWater Atmospheric Water Generators (AWG) units, which produce a range of 500 to 1,000 liters of water in one day, enough to cover all of the property’s drinking water requirements. Airowater utilizes moisture content in the air to create drinking water through a four-step filtration process. The machine’s optimum performance ideally requires a minimum humidity level of approximately 50 percent. However, the Airowater is designed to produce sufficient amounts of water in conditions of lower humidity as well.
All 246 guestrooms, restaurants, meeting facilities, spa, and gym feature refrigerators that are stocked with filtered AirOWater glass bottles. The hotel is plastic-free in terms of water bottles, with no plastic water bottles used in any public or staff areas, including back-of-house offices. For every 1000 liters of water produced by the AWG units, the hotel saves approximately 11,000kg of plastic and further reduces its carbon footprint as there is no wastage of water, compared to desalination or typical reverse osmosis treatment systems of water.
“All of us in hospitality need to focus more on sustainability and look for solutions together to eliminate plastic bottles in our properties,” said Raja Zeidan, the general manager of Delta Hotels by Marriott. “The consideration of how we use water, and the containers in which water is stored, is a good starting point, however, we plan to invest a lot of time and energy into sustainable initiatives for the future of our hotels.”
The hotel’s initiative is a step forward in terms of sustainability and will hopefully serve as an inspiration for other hotels to follow suit.