Moving silently through Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's "FlyZoo" hotel, black disc-shaped robots about a metre in height deliver food and drop off fresh towels.
The robots are part of a set of high-tech tools that Alibaba (say) extremely cuts the hotel's cost of human labour and removes the need for guests to interact other people.
Inside the hotel, softly-lit white panelled walls bring to mind insides of Hollywood spaceships. Guests check in at reception desks that scan (they) faces, as well as passports or other ID. (visit) with a Chinese national ID can scan their faces using their smartphones to check in ahead of time.
At the hotel's restaurant, taller capsule-shaped robots deliver food that guests (order) via the FlyZoo app while at a separate bar, a large robotic arm can mix more than 20 different types of cocktails. Facial recognition cameras add charges to the room rate (automatic).
The hotel does employ humans, Alibaba refused to tell how many. This includes chefs and cleaners as well as reception staff, will assist with conventional check-in procedures for guests unwilling to have their faces (scan) and want to use electronic key cards.
