Airport Experience® News - Conference 2023

Vijay adds that customer response to the Ottobots has been very positive. “And their feedback has been really helpful—it was open dialogue from repeat customers that led to the development of ‘Ottobot 2.0,’ the latest model that’s more accessible and easier to use for those with disabilities,” he says. “More cabin space was also included in the update, with more than one compartment so multiple deliveries can be made at the same time.” Servy and AtYourGate partner for similar robotic delievery services at a range of airports across North America. Drink Command is another up-and comer in the concessions tech space. Offering self-serve beer walls, counters, table taps and more, the company is on a major growth trajectory in non-traditional venues, according to Kevin Patel, chief strategy officer. “We’re operational at Atlantic City International Airport (ACY) and we’re in the process of installing self-pour taps at seven restaurants at the new Kansas City International Airport (MCI),” he says. “We’re currently working with a number of concessions operators to design Drink Command solutions for their airports. Our technology can be deployed in a variety of spaces and we can design tap walls or execute service on small to large kegerators.” Tariq Amin, Drink Command’s chief procurement officer, notes that self-pour technology has been around for many years, but it wasn’t until the hospitality industry experienced the decrease in staffing and the expanded use of touchless and contactless ordering that self-pour popularity started to grow. “Demand is definitely on the rise. In fact, our growth across all segments has grown exponentially over the past 12 months,” he says. Patel notes that Drink Command offers many benefits. For operators, there’s an average 23%more yield than a traditional bar set up because it eliminates over pouring and waste; there are minimal staffing needs; it offers the ability to measure product use and adapt offerings; and it’s affordable and flexible for any space. For guests, it offers an enhanced, contactless experience. “We put the control of choice in the hands of the guest,” Patel says. “No long lines, no waiting for your drink, no waiting for a cashier. In less than 30 seconds, a guest can scan their payment method, choose the beverage, pull the tap handle and have their drink.”

mirroring that sentiment, expressing empathy while delivering very personalized information readily.” McIntyre adds that the biggest challenge in introducing this tech has been finding the right hardware setup to accommodate the environment, but that the benefit of offering an elevated customer experience outweighs this. “We really value being able to offer a user interface that’s approachable and easily accessible to anyone,” he says. “There’s been some initial inquisitiveness trying to figure out what Iris is and what she does, so we’ve developed on-screen clues to aid in the initial interaction. Beyond that, customers seem eager to engage.” On the concessions side, one new tech company vying for airport space is Ottonomy , which makes fully autonomous robots called “Ottobots” that deliver food and retail items that can be purchased through an app. The company began pilots at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) in November 2021 and has since expanded globally to Europe, Canada and Italy, with more launches and partnerships planned across the globe in 2023, according to founder and CEO Ritukar Vijay. “Ottonomy was founded during a global pandemic and an unprecedented labor shortage, and the inspiration for Ottonomy’s ‘robotics as a service’ model came from in-depth research on retail and restaurant industries combined with years of engineering and robotics expertise,” Vijay says. “We saw the particular challenges for the businesses in this sector and created a product designed to champion the industry—not to replace workers, as the labor shortage was already in full swing, but to come alongside them to better serve customers.”

Above: Ottonomy makes fully autonomous robots called “Ottobots” that deliver food and retail items that can be purchased through an app. The company began pilots at Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky International Airport in November 2021 and has since expanded globally to Europe, Canada and Italy, with more launches and partnerships planned across the globe in 2023. The company recently unveiled “Ottobot 2.0,” the latest model offering more accessibility for those with disabilities in addition to more cabin space.

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