Technological Innovation: Alibaba’s Futuristic Hotel opens amid concerns

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That's not the only hotel plumbing the depths of what's possible in the hospitality industry. Chinese Internet giant Alibaba this week opened the FlyZoo hotel in East China's Zhejiang Province. Guests can check in, enter their rooms, and even get room service - without ever talking to a human being. But all these digital features are also raising privacy concerns. CGTN'S WU LEI reports.

Opening a door with your face. And controlling the room's lights, television and curtains via a smart speaker. 25-year-old Sam Wang could not wait to try these techy amenities at this futuristic hotel. He and his grandparents are among the first group of lucky guests.

SAM WANG CUSTOMER "It is really very convenient, we don't have to waste our time waiting in lines. Many services like check in can be done with a mobile phone. And I feel more secure with the help of this technology and these smart facilities."

Aside from the mobile phone option, customers can also check in via these automatic machines in the lobby. Robots can carry out room services like meal delivery. Other robots are deployed to serve dishes, cocktails and coffee. So will all these robots put the human hotel staff out of a job?

SUN XIAOTONG FLYZOO HOTEL STAFF "I'm not worried about this. Machines and robots can only do some repetitive and programmatic work. The robots can save us a lot of time so that we can provide more quality and customized service for our customers."

On the FlyZoo hotel's first day, staff say most of the 290 rooms have already been booked.

WU LEI HANGZHOU "Facial Recognition is widely used in this futuristic hotel. You can enter this fitting room with just your face. Many customers say technology is making hotels more convenient and upgrading their services. But others say information safety and privacy are major concerns."

Sam follows hotel trends very closely. He says many technological advancements often come with risks.

SAM WANG CUSTOMER "This kind of smart hotel faces risks of customer information leakage. Hotels would never leak or sell personal info, but some hackers may attack the internet and steal information."

Many hotels across the world are now teaming with tech companies to upgrade their facilities with AI and Internet of Things technologies.

FlyZoo hotel's CEO says safety and service will always be their top priority.

ANDY WANG, CEO ALIBABA FLYZOO HOTEL "We already concerned about this kind of issue. First of all, we will completely comply with local government policies and laws. Secondly with our system capabilities, because you know all our systems are cloud based, we have stronger capabilities to protect the data for our individual guests."

Andy Wang says this hotel was 1.5 times more efficient than its competitors. As hotels become smarter and more automated, customers now expect more quality and customized experiences.

WuLei, CGTN, HZ, ZJ province.