The Sheraton Los Angeles San Gabriel Hotel, opening in January, will be the first U.S. hotel to tout eight TUG robots developed by Aethon, a provider of autonomous mobile robots. Aethon’s robots will be introduced at Sheraton’s newest Los Angeles property, located in San Gabriel, 10 miles from downtown Los Angeles. Visitors to the 288-room stylish hotel will be greeted by Aethon’s 4-foot high, friendly-looking innovative TUG robots whether looking for directions to elevators or receiving an in-room delivery.
There will be one “wayfinding” robot that will take guests to destinations on the first floor. The other seven are “multi-use” robots that will use the service elevators to deliver in-room items to guests such as luggage, meals, fresh linens and other guest items. The robots will be programmed to call the elevator, open service doors and ring guestroom phones when they arrive at the door. When finished with tasks, the robots navigate back to a charging dock before heading out again.
“The robots will work alongside our employees and not replace them, rather their purpose is to make certain tasks more efficient, allowing staff to focus on the needs of guests and offering more personal touches,” Chan said. “Sheraton’s ‘Go Beyond’ program does that by delivering the highest standards of service to guests, and we believe these TUG robots will enhance their experience and they will come to appreciate the fast, reliable service the robots will deliver.”