Lotte Hotels joins gov’t-led humanoid development project

(Lotte Hotels & Resorts)

Lotte Hotels & Resorts Co. announced on Friday that it has become the first company in the hotel industry to join a government-led humanoid technology development project, aiming to build future-oriented hotel services using artificial intelligence (AI) robots.

Lotte Hotels & Resorts has been selected as the lead institution for national R&D project under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s robot industry technology development program, through which it will develop and pilot humanoid robots optimized for hotel environments.

In particular, the company plans to verify and advance high-level technologies on site, including five-finger manipulation technology to perform the delicate hand movements required for hotel operations, as well as autonomous navigation capabilities in complex indoor spaces.

In the initial phase, the robots will be deployed for contactless tasks such as room cleaning, transporting supplies, and facility management to accumulate operational data.

The scope will later expand to customer-facing services, including concierge and check-in functions.

The first pilot will be at Lotte Hotel Seoul, where job analysis and proof-of-concept evaluations based on real hotel environments have already begun.

Lotte has also partnered with deep-tech firm Realworld, which develops physical AI and robotics foundation models, to draw up a master plan for humanoid robots tailored to hotel operational needs, starting in October.

Based on accumulated operational data, Lotte Hotels & Resorts aims to further advance learning models and roll out commercialized versions across all of its properties by 2030.

(Lotte Hotels & Resorts)