Ctrip has displayed its "robot hotel receptionist" that is able to complete check-in through facial recognition within 30 seconds. The technology was demonstrated at the recent Shanghai Creativity and Industry Exhibition (SCIE).
The robot receptionist is part of its "EASY Stay" program. The comprehensive independent smart hotel solution program was initiated by Ctrip to serve OTAs and large online price-comparison platforms. The program offers seven features –robot receptionist, VR panorama display, online room selection, smart guest control and luggage delivery service. It is able to improve the efficiency of check-in/check-out by 30%.
The "EASY Stay" strategy was released earlier this year to offer micro-innovation services for hotels, such as online room selection, Flash Stay 2.0 (through which guests can enjoy deposit-free stay and after-checkout payment) and self-service check-in/check-out. When booking hotels, guests can explore online the hotel's interior and exterior views with the help of digital interior map, VR and other technologies. When checking in and checking out, the self-service machine is able to automatically verify identity, connect guests’ identity with their booking information and then issue room keys once the guests scan their ID cards on the device.
The self-service machine is connected to hotels’ PMS systems, enabling booking orders from Ctrip and other platforms to access the check-in procedure.
Ctrip’s robot receptionists have been serving hotels guests in Beijing, Ningbo, Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Sanya, Xi'an and other major cities. Room-selection service online is covering nearly 200 domestic cities, flash stay service nearly 8,000 domestic cities, and luggage delivery service 40 global destination cities.
Ctrip’s latest move shows that it is beginning to extend its control over hotel supplies through smart services that connect with PMS, going beyond hotel booking and marketing.
