Case study: Sheraton Grand Sydney using AI robots to alleviate staff shortages

The hospitality industry is still feeling the pinch of the pandemic with staff shortages and supply chain issues, while this might seem grim, some organisations are using this as an opportunity to innovate.

Sheraton Hotels is one of these businesses that is implementing new technologies to counteract its staff issues.

Digital Nation Australia spoke to Joe Poovaiya, director of food and beverage at the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park on the hotel’s deployment of AI-powered robots from SoftBank Robotics, partnered with GERMii in Australia to support their restaurants and kitchens.

He said, “The robot was used to pick the food from the kitchen, and also to bring the food to the dedicated restaurant area where the waiter picks up the food and drops it. It cuts down a staff member just being a busboy where the robot does the job for us, and the staff can stay in the venue and ensure the services are leveraged.”

When the food is ready, the chef places a docket on the tray with the food where it tells the robot where to serve the food.

Poovaiya said the robot is not only helpful but brings light entertainment to diners. 

“It has a broader point of difference [for guests], especially when kids are there and even adults looking at it. It's intelligently designed, where it stops and it finds another way to go across it even though people try to stop it to check it out,” he explained.

With one robot serving in the restaurant, Sheraton is already looking at expanding its fleet with new vacuums.

“Sheraton is involved right now testing in the vacuum cleaners in one of our top floors. Rather than using housekeepers to do public area in the late hours, these robots are now being trialled.

“We are looking some robotic hands with certain elements to do certain things. We are even looking at aspects where it can deliver food to rooms, certain amenities and stuff. The request certain requests for towels. There are plans ahead but one by one we want to deploy [the robots],” he ended.