Germany’s Cocoon Hotels founder Johannes Eckelmann decided to try something new when creating his third property. Even though his retro-inspired budget hotels have garnered industry praise – and operate at a fantastic 90% occupancy rate – the hotelier has embarked on an ambitious quest to build and operate a cloud technology-based, completely staffless hotel. And it’s working.

Hotel Buddy (maybe that name doesn’t translate well) is a 75-room property situated among several floors of a predominantly office-use building in downtown Munich. Booking, checking in, managing parking, and even escorting guests to their rooms is done via Hetras cloud-based technology. Hetras sales manager Tanja Baier explains:

“Just as urban travelers today just check in online for flights, they would also much rather be able to check into hotels the same way – quickly, without any fuss and without having to stand in a queue.”

The check-in process in particular is especially unique. Guests receive an email directing them to the check-in floor, where they sign in on a tablet. A keycard is then provided to them (through a machine!) and they are directed to the elevator. When the keycard is inserted into the elevator, it automatically takes guests to their correct floor, all without exchanging a word with another human being.

Having zero staff members means that operating costs are kept to an absolute minimum. (Though someone must be doing the housekeeping, right?) Eckelmann is all too happy to pass those savings onto guests, saying:

“The benefits for guests are pretty obvious. That is, they are staying in a modern, brand-new hotel right in the heart of Munich, and at an unbeatable and affordable price.”

Hotel Buddy’s Hetras hotel management technology has already been such a roaring success that Eckelmann is now transitioning his other Cocoon Hotels to the service, though he is maintaining staff at those properties. Will Buddy’s staffless system prove to be a model for the rest of the hotel industry to deploy? Only time will tell.

Source: http://roadwarriorvoices.com/2015/11/20/will-germanys-first-staffless-hotel-become-a-model-for-the-rest-of-the-world/