There is a lot of fear surrounding AI, and much of that anxiety centers around whether and how quickly it will replace humans and their lives. In fact, the World Economic Forum has revealed that by the mid-2020s, 85 million jobs will be lost to AI, while 97 million jobs will be created in 26 countries.
This calculation is supported by experience across the Sudima Hotel Group. The addition of robots improved some roles, but did not replace them, increasing productivity across the group by 10% to 15% over 18 months.
In many ways, the hospitality and lodging industry is the perfect testing ground for artificial intelligence and robotics. As we successfully experiment with robots and AI at a busy customer-facing company with over 650 staff and 2 virtual assistants, and with many more integrations on the way, we are committed to protecting what is irreplaceable while leveraging the new technology. We learned some important lessons about how to introduce waves. human talent:
1. Robots create efficiency and increase productivity, but they do not replace humans.
We realized that housekeeping was the first major department that could be equipped with robots and purchased the first robot to be installed at Sudima Auckland Airport in 2022.
Our first vacuum robot is now cleaning all public areas. We have staff responsible for this task, including a housekeeping manager. For the manager, the robot is now her 2IC, and for the staff (who have been with this company for a long time) who are responsible for keeping public areas clean, she will never be replaced by a robot.
When I asked Emma, a restaurant supervisor who has been with our company for several years, about a machine called Bellabot, she told me how often kids want to take pictures with Bella and how she surprises the kids by sending pictures of Bella afterwards. He'll let you know how things are going. In their room there is Sudima's teddy bear and ice cream (which is moved very fast by the bot so it doesn't melt). It also makes it easier to open a restaurant at 4:30 a.m. to accommodate early flight departures, and prepare the buffet by having Bella open the kitchen door and he deliver the breakfast items in one trip. is 60% faster than him.
2. AI is essential to better manage labor pressures in high-volume businesses. The labor supply problems that affected our industry have largely disappeared, and labor inflation has also declined. Back in the days when people could set their own prices when they walked through the door, there was high turnover across the industry to attract top talent.
We have now evolved our digital capabilities in this area and introduced a software system to process expressions of interest and applications for roles. We received 34,000 applications in 2023 and currently have over 650 staff members. In 2022, our AI recruitment technology enabled him to screen over 12,000 candidates for job openings across the group. AI reduces “time to hire” and candidate ghosting, enables faster interview matching, adds time for detailed phone screening, improves the accuracy of high-volume job listings, and increases digital Employment contracts, surveys, metrics, feedback and performance are now possible. Reviews, alerts, and rights-to-work monitoring.
For existing and new staff, the robot is an addition, not a replacement, and this means that “the bot has had team buy-in from the beginning and is in line with the innovation we are already known for.” I meant it. Almost all customers like the robots, and for the oddball who doesn't mind the whirring noises and slight chirps, the team ensures that they only receive human service.
Feedback from the Sudima Auckland Airport restaurant team is that the robots give them more time to meet and chat with guests while the machines clear away dirty plates and cutlery, and that guests and staff alike are encouraged by the robot's sensors. He is fascinated by how it removes dirt. Avoid bumping into random tables and small children, maintain calm and order, and make sure things run like clockwork.
3. Robots are much easier to manage and have a wealth of reportable data if their measurements are controlled. A perennial question in business is how to measure employee performance. With robots, there are no such difficulties. It can be tracked as a digital unit and can also be tracked visually. We are building a command center at Sudima Auckland Airport with a large TV screen that can be connected to the existing hotel camera network and robot app for monitoring. All six robots move around the hotel and return to the central warehouse.
Hotel inventory and what comes out of rooms can also be tracked and managed by other departments. For example, when housekeeping staff is cleaning a room, all used linens, towels, glassware, and trash are placed inside a robot that sits at the door, and the robot trundles down the hallway. Let's go back to central control. By the end of the next room, you'll be back to pick up those items. We manually save people an average of 5 hours per day, freeing them up for more productive work by eliminating the tedious and time-consuming back and forth tasks that humans normally perform. You can expand your skill set to other areas. .
4. Boost productivity with robots, giving you more time to reinvest in your people and business growth. To date, the introduction of robots and AI has increased productivity by up to 15%. This helps our teams spend less time on more menial tasks, and robots can also help people return to work after illness or injury. For example, a staff member who broke her arm was able to resume her duties faster because the robot could perform tasks that were impossible for her.
There is no doubt that AI and robotics are here to stay. In 2023, the hospitality and tourism industry employed more than 189,432 people and contributed $13.3 billion to GDP. There is great potential if this type of capability is scaled up in this sector and across the economy.
