Meet Connie -The Robot Concierge of the Future

Hotel Giant Hilton has teamed up with IBM and released the first robot concierge powered by IBM’s Al software Watson. It can greet, interact with guests and give answers to questions. Pretty cool right?

Meet Connie

Connie stands at 2-feet-tall and is named after Hilton’s founder Conrad Hilton, giving the ‘bot its very own nickname.

How does it work?

Connie can talk, greet and respond thanks to IBM’s software Watson. You may be wondering what is Watson? It is a “technology platform that uses natural language processing and machine learning to reveal insights from large amounts of unstructured data”(IBM Watson).

As you approach her and say, “Hi Connie,” she will then look in your direction, the color of her robotic eyes will change and she will greet you. She can give you dining recommendations, hotel amenities, nightlife suggestions and much more.

Where can I find Connie?

The robot is only assisting guests at Hilton’s McLean Virginia Hotel right now, as it was just released, and is still in the piloting stage. Connie is stationed next to the reception desk and has not fully replaced the job of the hotel concierge just yet.

Connie is an experiment that has been up and running for a few weeks and it will be interesting to see where this will take the future of concierge service and human interaction at hotel reception.

The Future of Hospitality

Hilton Hotels Social Media Community Manager, Alexandra Sisto, commented on the release of Connie and said, “technology is changing the future of hospitality by creating more personal touch points between the guests and the hotel”.

Hilton seems to be the front runner in the journey of linking technology and hospitality together as they continue to innovate and create new and exciting features.

To learn more about Connie check out this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxerYJBSW0c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxerYJBSW0c