The future of room service has arrived in Singapore

Singapore’s Hotel Jen, part of the Shangri-La group, is the first international hotel chain to add two autonomous Savioke-designed relay robots to its employee fleet.

Stationed in the lobbies of the Hotel Jen Orchardgateway and Hotel Jen Tanglin, robots  ‘Jeno’ and ‘Jena’ are just under one metre-tall and are dressed in the chain’s brand colours – turquoise and pink – complete with name badges introducing themselves.

Designed to deliver hotel guests’ orders, from a spare toothbrush to room service meals, the robots can carry up to 4.5kgs. Moving quietly around the hotel at a slow and steady 2.5km/h, approximately half of a human’s average walking speed, the robots are fitted with sensors that ensure they navigate the hallways safely, avoiding any obstacles. Inbuilt Wi-Fi allows them to make arrival phone calls to rooms and take unmanned elevator rides.

The robot service begins when guests telephone the front desk and place an order from the in-room menu. Once prepared, the order is placed in the robot’s secure compartment and the guest’s room number is keyed in for delivery. Jena or Jeno then takes care of the delivery before returning to the lobby for their next assignment. Deliveries are designed to be completed with 15 minutes from an order being placed.  

By Ria de Jong