BETHLEHEM, Pa. – C-3PO was there.
So was Rosie from “The Jetsons.” Johnny 5 from “Short Circuit.” The robot from “Lost in Space.”
Even Marty, the googly-eyed robot that patrols Giant grocery stores, made an appearance.
They were lined up on a screen Wednesday morning at Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
Then came Jamison. Mike. Daniel. Kara. Kiana. Stephanie. Diana. Rodney. Kate.
Those people are real.
And that's the idea behind the new REAL People Promise. As hotels and resorts increasingly turn to artificial intelligence, chatbots and kiosks for customer service, Hotel Bethlehem says it is doubling down on human interaction instead.
Get REAL
As part of the REAL – Relational, Engaged, Accessible and Local – People Promise, the hotel is giving its 200-plus employees concierge training, including those who don't traditionally work in guest-facing roles.
“We're investing in our own people,” General Manager Kelly Ronalds said. “We're going to ensure that our team has all of the information [and] training, and that they are providing our customers and guests with an authentic and customized experience."
The robots on the screen were part of a joke. The hotel's April Fools' Day campaign imagined a robotic Hotel Bethlehem staff, including a bell robot, a concierge robot and an AI room-service robot that accidentally delivered 11 lobster rolls to one guest room.
But Ronalds said that joke also was meant to tease a more serious decision.
“We've seen many hospitality businesses replacing human customer-service touchpoints with robots, AI agents,” she said. “It's terrible, not just for the employees, but for the guests.”
“They're soulless,” Ronalds said.
The hotel's proprietary concierge training includes etiquette, interpersonal communication and role-playing. Employees will tour the hotel and learn its history, visit the historic district and learn about local restaurants, attractions, activities, services and travel routes.
“Everyone on our team is trained as a concierge,” Ronalds said. “That includes our housekeepers, engineers, ice cream parlor and shop staff. Each of our more than 200 members is prepared to get to know you and help you engage with our community.”
That's where the contrast with the robots becomes more than a punchline.
A robot can deliver something to a room. A person can ask why you're visiting.
A chatbot can provide a list of restaurants. A local employee can tell you where they would actually go.
And a worker who has spent almost two decades at the hotel can recognize a guest and ask what they need.
Ronalds pointed to housekeeper Yolanda Velez.
“When she hears a guest get off the elevator, she pops out. 'Welcome to my floor. What can I get you? I'm your person. What do you need to know?'" Ronalds said.
'The impact you want to have'
The hotel wants to give employees like Velez more information to share with guests, not simply instructions for performing their jobs as assigned.
Ronalds recalled a trip to New Orleans, where a bellman recommended a local restaurant, an experience she said illustrated the personal connection she wants Hotel Bethlehem employees to create.
“That's the impact that you want to have on people,” she said.
That kind of personal connection, Ronalds said, is reflected in reviews. Guests frequently mention employees by name, and some even ask to stay on Velez’s floor.
“They call out Sam at the front desk. They call out Nina in the restaurant. I have guests who request to be on Yolanda's floor.”
The hotel isn't promising to eliminate technology altogether. Guests who prefer to book online still will be able to do so, Ronalds said. The difference is what happens when a guest wants to talk to someone who knows the place.
That emphasis on human connection ties directly into the hotel's history.
More than 100 years ago, members of the Bethlehem community pooled their money to build the hotel, which became a hub for social activity. Generations of families have celebrated engagements, weddings, baby showers and proms there.
“The community that's always been at the heart of who we are will always be,” Ronalds said.
So Wednesday's presentation ended where it began: with the people.
After the robots disappeared from the screen, Hotel Bethlehem employees were invited to sign the REAL People Promise.
“Real people doing real jobs,” Ronalds said.