Goodbye, Bellboy. Robots Will Check You In And Carry Your Luggage At Smart Hotels Of The Future

• Smart hotels in China will have facial recognition to check in, smart keys on phones to switch on appliances, and other robotic technology, predicts Jane Sun, CEO of online travel agency CTrip.
• The Chinese are willing to try new things and young people will be excited to see a "Star Wars" kind of futuristic theme designed into hotels, Sun says.
• High labor costs mean replacing humans with machinery in hotels in the future.

Smart hotels in China will use robots to carry luggage, install facial recognition for easier check-ins, and use smart keys on phones to turn on air conditioning, predicts Jane Sun, CEO of CTrip, one of China's largest online travel services company.

And you won't even have to leave a tip.

"I think this will happen because the labor cost available in the world will increase, and using machines to do something that is logical and programmable is a very feasible way to make sure a customer is satisfied and efficiency is improved," Sun told CNBC's Geoff Cutmore at the East Tech West conference held in the Nansha district of Guangzhou, China.

Information Technology Lodging Industry Innovation Chatbots, Robotics & AI