Hotels with robots, holographic receptions and airports without counters: tourism increasingly looks like a scene from the future
Robots at reception, digital assistants in hotel rooms, automated towel delivery, biometric passenger control at airports and theme parks in which characters from animated films move almost like living beings are no longer just scenes from science fiction. The tourism industry, pressured by labor shortages, rising costs, changes in traveler habits and ever greater expectations of fast service, has in recent years been rapidly introducing technologies that change the way guests arrive at a hotel, pass through an airport, order a service or experience attractions. Such experiences simultaneously attract attention, create a marketing effect and raise serious questions about what happens when a guest, instead of a person at reception, encounters a robot, a hologram or a screen that does not understand the nuance of a human request.
One of the best-known examples of such a shift remains the Japanese chain Henn na Hotel, which has for years presented itself as a hotel concept in which part of the work is performed by robots, including robotic receptionists, animatronic dinosaurs and holographic systems for guest check-in. The chain's official information highlights contact and contactless check-in, an unusual arrival experience and the status of the first hotel with robots recognized in the Guinness World Records. For many guests, it is precisely this unusualness that is the reason for booking: arriving at the hotel becomes an event in itself, and not just an administrative step before entering the room. In such properties, reception no longer functions only as a place to pick up a key, but as a stage on which technology must entertain, impress and convince the guest that they have arrived at something different from a classic hotel.
But the same technology that attracts curiosity can also cause discomfort. Humanoid robots, robotic dinosaurs or digital characters that speak in a pre-programmed voice seem entertaining to some guests, while to others they create a feeling of coldness, uncertainty or mild unease. The difference is often in expectations: a guest who booked a room precisely because of the unusual experience will probably perceive the robotic reception as an attraction, while a guest who only wants to complete check-in quickly may be frustrated if the system does not recognize a document, does not understand a question or does not offer a simple path to a human employee. In hospitality, where small gestures and tone of conversation often determine the impression of service, a robot must be more than a technical trick for the experience to be truly better.
From reception to towel delivery: where robots fit in most easily
The most easily accepted hotel robots are generally not those that try to completely replace the receptionist, but those that take over simple, repetitive and logistical tasks. Delivery robots that bring guests towels, cosmetics, restaurant orders, documents or smaller packages fit well into hotel corridors because they solve a concrete problem: they save employees time and speed up service. Companies specialized in such systems emphasize that robots can independently navigate a space, use elevators and deliver items to the room door, while staff remain more available for more complex guest requests. In practice, this means that the robot is not necessarily a replacement for a human, but a moving hotel cart with navigation, sensors and enough personality to make the guest smile.
Such an approach shows why automation in tourism is most successful when it is not imposed as a spectacle, but as practical help. For a guest who asks for an extra towel late in the evening, it is probably not crucial whether it is brought by a person or a robot, provided that the service arrives quickly, quietly and without complications. The problem arises when technology is placed between the guest and the solution. If a robot cannot answer a question about lost luggage, if an application does not allow an exception or if a self-check-in system does not anticipate an unusual situation, the guest does not experience innovation, but an obstacle. That is why in hospitality there is increasing talk of a hybrid model: technology takes over routine, while people remain essential where judgment, empathy and improvisation are needed.
In New York, YOTEL is often cited as a recognizable example of a technological hotel, whose YOBOT, a robotic arm for luggage storage, has become part of the hotel's identity near Times Square. For guests who arrive before check-in time or leave after check-out, automated luggage storage turns an otherwise boring hotel procedure into an attraction that many photograph. At the same time, such systems also show the limitation of hotel robotics: YOBOT does not hold a conversation, resolve disputes or explain local transport, but very precisely performs one task. That is precisely why such a robot appears more convincing than more ambitious but more fragile attempts for a machine to take over the entire role of receptionist.
Holograms and digital assistants are changing the first impression of a hotel
Holographic receptions and digital assistants create a different type of experience. Instead of a physical robot, the guest sees in front of them a projection, a screen or a virtual character that guides them through the check-in process, gives instructions and answers basic questions. Such solutions allow hotels to make reception look futuristic, reduce waiting and standardize part of the communication in several languages. In tourist destinations where a large number of foreign guests arrive, a multilingual digital system can be useful, especially when it concerns simple information such as breakfast time, the internet password, elevator instructions or check-out rules.
Still, a hologram does not remove the need for human contact. If a guest arrives after a canceled flight, if they have a health problem, if they travel with a small child or if their card has been charged twice, a virtual smile does not mean much if there is no real support behind it. In such situations, the guest expects someone to listen, understand the context and take responsibility. For that reason, the best technological solutions in tourism are measured not only by how attractive they look in a photograph, but by how quickly they allow a transition from an automated procedure to a conversation with a person when automation fails.
For destinations in which hotels with robots are part of the tourism offer, unusual technology becomes an additional travel motive. Visitors planning a stay in technologically recognizable cities often compare not only prices and locations, but also the experiences that a hotel can offer. That is why in texts about such trips practical links to
accommodation near futuristic hotel attractions appear increasingly often, especially when the robotized hotel is located in a district that is itself part of the tourist tour. But technological distinctiveness should not replace the basic criteria: cleanliness, safety, transport connectivity, transparent prices and availability of help when something goes wrong.
Airports are pushing automation even more strongly than hotels
If hotels are a testing ground for the entertaining side of robotics, airports show its more serious and more massive application. Digital boarding passes, self-service baggage drop, biometric identity verification, automatic passport controls and applications that guide passengers from entrance to exit are becoming a standard part of air transport. According to research by international aviation organizations and technology service providers, passengers increasingly expect speed, predictability and the possibility to complete part of the process before arriving at the airport. This does not mean that everyone equally wants biometrics or completely digital travel, but it shows that the industry is moving toward a model in which documents, identity, baggage and boarding are connected into one digital flow.
The reason is simple: airports must process a large number of passengers in limited space and in short time intervals. Automation promises shorter queues, faster checks, fewer paper documents and better crowd management. In an ideal scenario, the passenger arrives at the terminal, drops off luggage at an automatic kiosk, passes through security and border control with biometric verification, and the mobile application informs them about the gate, delay or boarding change. In reality, such a system works only if the data are accurate, if the equipment does not break down, if there is a clear procedure for passengers who do not want or cannot use biometrics and if staff remain available for exceptions.
Biometrics is an especially sensitive area because it combines convenience and privacy. Passengers may appreciate faster passage through control, but at the same time they want to know who collects their data, how long they are stored, to whom they are forwarded and whether there is an option to refuse such a procedure. That is why trust is as important as speed. An airport that introduces facial recognition without clear communication risks passenger resistance, while a system that transparently explains the purpose, data retention periods and alternative procedures has a greater chance of being accepted as practical help, and not as imposed surveillance.
Theme parks turn robots into actors
In theme parks, robotics has a different role: there, machines must not only perform a task, but must act convincingly. Disney's tradition of Audio-Animatronics figures, Universal's immersive attractions, projections, drones, augmented reality and advanced motion-control systems show that the entertainment industry is moving toward an increasingly complex merging of mechanics, software and storytelling. When a visitor in a park sees a character that walks, turns its head, reacts to the audience or participates in a scene, the goal is not only to demonstrate technology, but to create the impression that a fictional world has become real for a moment.
In recent years Disney has publicly presented new generations of robotic characters and advanced animatronics, including technologies intended for more convincing movement, facial expression and interaction. Such systems are not ordinary robots in a hotel corridor; they are part of the scenography, dramaturgy and emotional experience. A similar direction can also be seen in large theme parks that invest in immersive zones, attractions with augmented reality, synchronized effects, drones and animatronic characters. The visitor does not come only for a ride, but enters a space that tries to respond to them, surround them with a story and maintain the impression that they are in a film world.
Still, the more complex the illusion, the more vulnerable it is. If a robot does not move on time, if a projection is late, if an application crashes or if an announced attraction is postponed due to technical problems, the disappointment can be greater than with a classic ride. Tourists are willing to pay more for an experience that looks unique, but in return they expect reliability. In theme parks, technology must work almost invisibly: the audience may see the magic, but must not constantly notice the system that produces it.
Why robots both entertain and annoy guests
Guest reactions to hotel and tourism robots are often divided because two needs collide: the desire for a new experience and the need for simple service. A robot dinosaur at reception can be a great sight for social networks, but if check-in takes longer than with a human, fun quickly turns into nervousness. A digital kiosk can reduce queues, but if it does not accept a document from a certain country or does not offer sufficiently clear instructions, the passenger feels left to the machine. A delivery robot can be charming, but if it blocks a corridor or does not know what to do in front of closed doors, technology becomes a nuisance.
Research on service robots in hotels suggests that the guest experience depends not only on technical efficiency, but also on perceptions of usefulness, simplicity, social acceptability and trust. In other words, the guest does not evaluate the robot only by whether it moved without collisions, but by whether it truly helped them. If a robot looks modern but does not solve the guest's problem, the impression can be worse than with a more modest but functional service. It is especially sensitive when hotels use robots as a replacement for staff shortages, and not as an addition to better organization. Then the guest may get the impression that they are paying for a service in which human availability has been reduced under the pretext of innovation.
On the other hand, there are situations in which travelers value precisely less contact. After the pandemic, acceptance of contactless check-ins, digital keys, automatic payments and applications that allow guests to manage their stay themselves increased. Some guests do not want to wait at reception, do not want to call for every small thing and would rather click in an application than explain a request. For them, automation is a sign of control over the trip. But tourism is not a uniform market: a business traveler who is late for a meeting, a family with children, an older person who uses applications less easily and a tourist coming to a city for the first time do not have the same needs. That is why a system that is practical for one person can be a source of stress for another.
Technology does not remove hospitality, but puts it to the test
The greatest misconception in discussions about robots in tourism is the idea that the question is only whether machines will replace people. In reality, successful examples show that technology works best when it frees people from routine tasks, not when it tries to erase the human dimension of service. A hotel employee who does not have to carry the same order to a floor ten times in an hour can devote more attention to a guest with a serious problem. Airport staff who do not have to manually check every document can focus on passengers who need help. In a theme park, an advanced robot can enhance the experience, but a team of people is still needed to design, maintain and supervise the entire system.
In such an environment, hospitality is measured not only by a smile at reception, but by the quality of the whole experience. If the digital system works quickly, if the instructions are clear, if data are processed responsibly and if human help is available without humiliating wandering through menus, the guest can experience automation as an improvement. If, however, technology is used as decoration behind which a lack of service is hidden, the result is the opposite. Travel then begins to resemble science fiction, but not the exciting kind, rather the kind in which a person tries to explain a problem to a machine that does not understand them.
Destinations are gaining a new kind of attraction
Hotels with robots and technologically advanced parks are increasingly becoming part of the destination story itself. Tokyo, New York, Orlando, Paris, Hong Kong and other major tourist centers attract visitors not only with museums, restaurants and landmarks, but also with the promise of an experience that cannot easily be repeated at home. In such a context, a hotel, airport or amusement park cease to be neutral infrastructure and become part of the travel experience. Visitors planning a trip to technologically developed tourist zones often search in advance for
accommodation connected with the main attractions, especially when it comes to parks and hotel districts in which distance, transport and waiting time strongly influence the overall impression.
For the tourism industry, this opens a new possibility for differentiation. A hotel that has a robot does not sell only a bed, but a story. An airport that introduces faster digital passage does not sell only infrastructure, but the promise of less stress. A theme park that uses advanced animatronics and interactive characters does not sell only a ticket, but the feeling of entering a world that moves, speaks and reacts. But precisely because of that, expectations grow. A technological addition must be reliable, meaningful and well integrated into the whole, because the guest very quickly recognizes the difference between real innovation and an expensive ornament.
In cities where such experiences are concentrated, practical travel organization remains as important as the attraction itself. Visitors who want to tour a robotized hotel, a large park or an airport known for digital systems often calculate transfer time, waiting and rest between activities. That is why alongside such topics
accommodation for visitors to technological attractions is naturally mentioned, but the final choice still depends on price, transport connectivity and how important proximity to the event location itself is to the traveler.
The future of travel will be hybrid
All available indications show that the tourism industry will not return to a completely analog model. Digital check-ins, smart rooms, applications, service robots, biometrics and automated controls will continue to spread, especially where they bring measurable savings in time and costs. At the same time, it is unlikely that travelers will fully accept tourism without people. Travel is often an emotional, unpredictable and sensitive experience: people are late, lose documents, change plans, get sick, travel for work, vacation, family or important life events. In such circumstances technology can help, but it cannot always replace a person who understands the context.
The most convincing tourism of the future will therefore not be the one in which receptions are left without people at any cost, but the one in which it is clearly known what a machine does better and what a human must keep. A robot can carry a towel, a hologram can explain the check-in procedure, a biometric system can speed up passage through control, and an animatronic character can bring a film scene to life. But when a guest asks an unexpected question, when the system makes a mistake or when travel becomes complicated, human presence still becomes the most important technology that tourism has.
Sources:- Henn na Hotel – official information about hotels with robots, holographic check-in and the contactless check-in concept (link)- SITA – Air Transport IT Insights 2024 on the digitalization of air transport, investments by airports and airlines in IT, artificial intelligence and automation (link)- IATA – Global Passenger Survey 2024 on passenger expectations, speed, convenience, digital processes and biometrics in air transport (link)- YOTEL New York – official information about hotel services and YOBOT robotic luggage storage (link)- Relay Robotics – official information about delivery robots for hotels and the role of automated delivery in hotel operations (link)- IBM / Hilton – announcement about the pilot project of the robotic hotel concierge Connie, developed with IBM Watson (link)- Walt Disney Imagineering – official information about A-1000 and newer generations of Audio-Animatronics technology (link)- The Walt Disney Company – announcement about the advanced robotic character Olaf and the development of interactive robotic characters for Disney parks (link)- Universal Orlando Resort – official information about Epic Universe as a new immersive theme park and related hotel facilities (link)- Taylor & Francis / Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management – scientific review of user experiences with service robots in hotels (link)
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