Cheery room service robot surprises guest

A hotel guest in Newark, California, was given room service with a difference on Wednesday (March 4) when a robot came to his room.

Scott Sigrist opened his door, at the Aloft Silicon Valley Hotel, to find a cheery robot delivering him toothpaste and a fresh towel before making its way back to the lobby.

Sigrist, who works for a storage company in Dallas, Texas, posted the video on social network and entertainment website Reddit late on Wednesday.

After just a few hours it had received hundreds of comments from users.

The video shows the small robot happily wiggling in the corridor once Sigrist gives it a full five star rating on its screen.

The 44-year-old said he spotted the robot in the foyer of the hotel earlier that day and decided to put it to the test.

Staff told him it could deliver any room service items to him — and said he should watch what happens when he rates it five stars.

The robot is called Botlr and it uses a camera and sensors to navigate its way around. This way it can recognize when a room’s door has opened, then it lifts its lid.

It was created by Silicon Valley start up Savioke who teamed up with Aloft to feature Botlrs in their hotels.

Sigrist said his room phone rang once the robot arrived at his door, and an automated voice said the robot was waiting outside.

In the video you can see a butler’s tie has been painted on its front as a finishing touch.

(Reuters)