After Starwood’s plan to add robot butlers to its workforce in as many as 100 hotels worldwide was branded a “gimmick” by a UK workers’ union, Susie Ellis – chair and CEO of GSWS and president of Spafinder Wellness 365 – exclusively told Spa Opportunities that robots will never be able to replace the human interaction required in the spa industry.

The machine currently being tested by Starwood in its Aloft Hotel in Cupertino, California, is named Botlr and is capable of shuttling items such as towels, razors and phone chargers from the lobby to guests’ rooms, before returning to its charging station to await further orders.

Described by Starwood as an “enhancement to our customer service” and not a replacement for entry level jobs, the robots have been developed by Silicon Valley-based start-up Savioke.

While certain hospitality jobs may be threatened by the installation of these butler systems, Ellis believes the human contact element of any spa experience is not replicable by a machine: “True wellness has a lot to do with personal interaction and personal touch. I don’t think that’s going to change,” she said.

Citing automated spa business Planet Beach as an example – a day spa franchise which offers spa services at the push of a button that don’t require attendants – Ellis explained that while the franchise has massage machines which reduce labour costs, replacing human therapists will not become a trend.

“I’ve been to a Planet Beach spa and it’s very clever,” said Ellis. “They stand out and it’s a cheaper business model. Customers have a membership and they still do get some results but I don’t see that becoming a huge wave of a trend that will supplant what’s already out there.”

“People don’t really like it when a machine tries to take the place of a massage therapist,” Ellis added.

Spa management, in particular, requires human interaction and will therefore not be replaced by robots, according to Ellis. “Spa management is not an easy job. It requires hard and soft skills. Even at Planet Beach, they have human attendants marketing the chain, products and dealing with people. Spas will always need human managers,” said Ellis.