One fifth of Britons surveyed in a recent poll said they would prefer to stay at a hotel run by robots, with this proportion rising to 26 percent going by answers from men only.
The research, conducted by travel search engine Kayak.co.uk to mark the launch of a Vice documentary on the robot-run Henn-na Hotel in Japan, found that one in seven (14 percent) believe robots could wipe out poor customer service while 18 percent highlighted the fact that they would expect robot staff to reduce hotel rates.
Londoners are the most positive, with 31 percent believing robots would improve our lives for the better. The younger generation appears to be the least supportive of robots, with almost 20 percent of 18-24 year olds stating they find the thought scary and predict they will be a threat, while the older generations (55+), say they do not see robots as a future problem.
Whilst the majority of people seem happy to embrace this technology in the future, when it comes to the use of robots in hotel services, Brits have mixed feelings. When it comes to budget, 18 percent responded positively, as they believe having robots in hotels may reduce hotel rates, however, they also consider human service and interaction as key in hospitality. Thirty-four percent do not think robots can replace the personal service humans deliver, and worry it will spark trust issues (39 percent) and lack personality (58 percent).
