M Social Singapore leads operational transformation for hotels in the region

Singapore - M Social Singapore's drive for digital excellence has paid off in a double win at International Data Corporation (IDC) Asia/Pacific's inaugural IDC Digital Transformation Awards (DXa) 2017. The hotel was named "DX Leader for Operational Transformation in Singapore" and "DX Leader for Operational Transformation in the Region" for addressing with innovation the serious manpower shortage in the hospitality sector.

The awards were for efforts in introducing the region's first Front-of-House Autonomous Service Delivery Robot, or AURA. The robot can operate and ride in elevators, navigate her way to a guest's door, let them know that a delivery has arrived, then open its lid for guests when they answer the door.

AURA delivers bottled water, towels, toiletries and amenities to guest rooms and mingles with guests at M Social. AURA has been integrated with various subsystems in the hotel, such as networks, elevators, and telephony. It has enabled organisation excellence by making business operations more productive, as it addresses manpower shortage through robotics solutions.

"I am proud that M Social Singapore has been acknowledged as a frontrunner in adapting new technology to address labour shortage. I believe it enhances guest experience, and enables us to stay relevant in the face of manpower crunch and business disruptions," said Mr Kwek Leng Beng, Chairman of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C), who is also Executive Chairman of Hong Leong Group, M&C's parent company.

"We have been heeding the government's push for automation. After the success of AURA, M Social has recently debuted a second robot AUSCA, the world's first robot Chef that can serve up egg dishes for dining guests," he added.

"Earlier this year, AUSCA, the world's first Front-of-House Autonomous Service Chef Robot prototype, started working at M Social's Beast and Butterflies restaurant, making perfect sunny-side up and omelette dishes for guests," said Mr Lee Richards, Vice President of Operations Singapore for Millennium Hotels and Resorts.

"We will be rolling out AURA to our other Singapore hotels next year," added Mr Richards, who collected the awards on behalf of M Social.

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