Question 1

Tech boost for hotel sector: Robots to support banquet crew, chatbots to take enquiries

Dancing Tables is a robot that moves dinner tables to designated spots within a banquet venue. Staff members need only to set up the banquet tables at one spot in the venue, and the robot will move the tables after they are done. Automation Robotics Technology is the company behind this innovation. The company visited several hotels to understand the work process that goes on at a banquet, and found that hotels face constraints in time, manpower and logistics when setting up banquet venues. Ms Gayle Tan, the company's business development manager said that for a 30-table banquet, the robot can halve manpower needs, as well as cut back on the time spent to set up and take down the tables by about 40 per cent.

Efforts by the STB (Singapore Tourism Board) have been ongoing to encourage hotels to adopt technology and innovation in their work processes from those at the front-of-house such as check-in and concierge services, to back-end ones such as housekeeping. According to the STB, productivity in the hotel sector has grown by about 5 per cent yearly since 2015. Moreover, by adopting technology, especially for back-of-house processes, hotels can release their workforce to perform higher value jobs, such as interacting with guests.

STB and the Hotel Innovation Committee has recently launched the Smart Hotel Technology Guide, which identifies key technologies that hotels can adopt. The committee, which was set up in 2016, is led by the Singapore Hotel Association. Its purpose is to drive the hospitality industry to adopt innovative technologies and improve productivity. To facilitate link-ups between relevant vendors and hotel, a Hotel Technology Directory was also launched.

(Adapted for academic purposes. Tech boost for hotel sector: Robots to support banquet crew, chatbots to take enquiries, by Alfred Chua, Today, 8 Nov 2018)

(a) Discusstwo (2)likely environmental factors that could potentially influence a hotel's buying decision for the Dancing Tables in Singapore. (8 marks)

(b) The Grand Royal Hotel operates a chain of hotels in Singapore. The hotel has been experiencing labour crunch and is exploring ways to improve its staff productivity. Grand Royal Hotel is considering the purchase of the Dancing Tables. Discuss the type of buying situation that the company is likely to face. Examine the buying decisions involved in such a buying situation. (14 marks)

(c) The Grand Royal Hotel appears to have some reservation about the purchase of the Dancing Tables. Discussthree (3)possible types of support services that Automation Robotics Technology can offer to Grand Royal Hotel to entice the purchase of the Dancing Tables. (9 marks)

(d) The Dancing Tables product is at the introduction stage of the product life cycle. Execute appropriate strategies for Automation Robotics Technology in the areas of people, process and physical evidence at this stage of the product life cycle. (9 marks)