Maldron Hotel Newcastle has doubled its room service revenue since introducing an autonomous delivery robot, now fitted with the voice of local actor Tim Healy.
The hotel on Newgate Street became the first in the UK to deploy the ButlerBot W3, supplied by North East company Spark Robotics. The robot, known as Anna Bot, delivers room service and guest amenities directly to bedrooms. It navigates the building independently, communicates with the lifts and links to the hotel’s bedroom telephone system. When it arrives at a room, a familiar Geordie voice calls the guest to say their order has arrived.
That voice belongs to Tim Healy, known for playing Dennis Patterson in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Lesley in Benidorm. Healy is a regular guest through the hotel’s support for his charity Sunday for Sammy and recorded the messages after offering to help.
Anna Wadcock, general manager of Maldron Hotel Newcastle, said the results show technology can support rather than replace traditional hospitality: “Anna Bot has become a real part of the hotel and guests absolutely love her. What started as an innovative way of delivering room service has developed into something which genuinely supports our team, improves the guest experience and has had a measurable impact on our revenue.
“The important thing for us has always been that technology should support our people, not replace them. Every room service delivery the robot makes means a member of our team can remain in the bar or restaurant looking after guests rather than leaving the floor.
“And the fact that our room service revenue has now doubled shows that guests aren’t just enjoying the novelty – they are actually using the service more.”
The robot also delivers towels and toiletries, allowing staff to respond quickly without leaving other areas. Some guests, including neurodivergent visitors, prefer the lower-contact option alongside the hotel’s contactless check-in and digital ordering.
Eric Guo, founder of SPARK Robotics, said the hotel’s experience showed practical uses for the robots: “Hospitality is just one of many industries that can benefit from robots. Logistics sites, shopping centres, garden centres, amusement arcades, care homes and large buildings all manage repetitive work, staff pressure, consistency requirements and high-volume routines. Our aim is to help organisations identify where robots can support those tasks in real working environments.”
Image source: Experience North East England
