Hilton Testing IBM Watson-Powered Robot Concierge

Staying at the Hilton hotel in McLean, Virginia, and need a restaurant recommendation? You might be in for a surprise at the concierge desk.

The hotel chain has partnered with IBM to pilot what the companies call "the first Watson-enabled robot concierge." Named "Connie" in honor of Hilton founder Conrad Hilton, the robot concierge can inform you about local tourist attractions, hotel features and amenities, and offer up dining recommendations.

Connie leverages a number of Watson speech and language APIs to greet guests upon arrival, answer questions about hotel amenities, services, and hours of operation. The robot also taps into the Watson-powered cognitive travel platform WayBlazer to suggest local attractions outside the hotel.

"Watson helps Connie understand and respond naturally to the needs and interests of Hilton's guests," Rob High, vice president and chief technology officer of IBM Watson, said in a statement.

During the pilot, Connie is learning to interact with guests and respond to their questions, and the technology will improve over time, Hilton and IBM said. The more guests interact with the robot, the more it learns.

"We're focused on reimagining the entire travel experience to make it smarter, easier, and more enjoyable for guests," Hilton's Vice President of Product Innovation and Brand Services, Jonathan Wilson, said in a statement. "By tapping into innovative partners like IBM Watson, we're wowing our guests in the most unpredictable ways."

Meanwhile, Connie isn't the only robot to score a customer service gig as of late. Japanese telecom giant SoftBank is planning to open a cell phone store in Tokyo this spring staffed primarily by Pepper robots. About five to six Pepper robots will run the store from March 28 through April 3, and be responsible for helping customers and making sales.

SoftBank also recently announced plans to offer an IBM Watson-powered version of Pepper for enterprises that can make sense of hidden meanings in data that traditional computers can't understand. For instance, Pepper may in the future be able to gain insights about people from sources like what they share on social media, to better assist them in a customer service capacity.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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