It is the first time a robot will perform hotel administrator functions. The robot, named Mikhalych, will meet guests at the Dobrograd Park Hotel in the Vladimir Region.
If the experiment is successful, perhaps robots will indeed compete with employees of hotels, airports and fitness centers in the near future.
The passport recognition system developed by the Russian company Smart Engines has been introduced by Promobot from Perm. For the first time in Russia, the administrator robot Mikhalych is sitting at the reception desk – an improved promo robot version taught to welcome guests and register them at the hotel (for this, visitors only need to give their reservation number or their passport for scanning). The robot also knows how to hand them room keys and accept payment for additional services.
Guests can now check in and out quicker because Mikhalych is efficient and never leaves the workplace – the robot does not need lunch or coffee breaks; it is polite and accurate. In addition, it has an excellent memory and can recognize and remember the faces and speech of the hotel guests; on second time, the robot greets them by their names as good friends. If they would like to know more about local sights, Mikhalych is there to help: it can give an online tour of Dobrograd and its environs. Leaving the reception desk, the robot never bumps into people or things. Due to its built-in sensors, the robot moves around smoothly avoiding collisions and obstacles, the sensors helping it navigate the area.