Robots reduce room rates

Ghent. The Ghent Marriott Hotel in Belgium has a new employee. His name is Mario and he works at the front desk where he greets clients in 19 languages 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Where did the hotel find such a pearl one would ask? Well, in the robotic industry. Mario is actually a humanoid robot. The first ever to work in the hospitality industry. Mario is 48 cm tall, weighs 12 kg and costs the hotel 15,000 euros. Money well spent thinks General Manager Roger Langhout, who believes: "We haven't seen a more impactful change in our business since the introduction of smartphones." Since last week, Mario is assisting the staff during check-in but also works for other departments. It can welcome guest sometimes with a glass of champagne, can provide room keys and answer any question regarding availabilities. It is also able to accompany business guests to meetings rooms and even host a power point presentation.