Over Here, Over There

AI and The Human Touch - Interview with Franck Arnold, Managing Director, The Savoy

Dan Harris and Claudia Koestler Season 3 Episode 10

Franck Arnold, Managing Director of The Savoy in London, reveals his hospitality strategy, which is revolutionizing luxury service!

In this clip from the "Learning from the Best"  series of the Podcast "Over Here, Over There" in cooperation with ‪@EvenlodeFilms‬, Mr. Arnold breaks down the critical balance between cutting-edge AI and the irreplaceable human connection. Discover how top-tier hotels like The Savoy are navigating the future of hospitality, blending technology with heart-warming personal service.

What happens when robots meet human empathy? Mr. Arnold exposes the secrets that keep luxury hospitality alive and thriving. Learn how The Savoy stays ahead of the game by:

  • Mastering AI efficiency

  • Preserving the magic of human interaction

  • Creating unforgettable guest experiences


Don't miss these game-changing insights from one of the world's most innovative hotel leaders!

Are you ready to learn from the best? Watch the full-length podcast episode on YouTube here:
Insights from The Savoy - Interview with Franck Arnold, Managing Director

Check out all our episodes at overhereoverthere.org.

#HospitalityInnovation #AIandHumanTouch #LuxuryHospitality #TheSavoy #FranckArnold #FutureOfService #ai #podcast #overhereoverthere 

🌍 From the legendary Savoy Hotel to your screen - wisdom that will change how you think about service! 🔑

The following corresponds with the YouTube episode:

0:03

[Music] You have mentioned that you use AI,  actually to reduce food waste. Are there any  


0:16

other areas that you use AI? There will  be more use of AI to support and help us  


0:21

becoming more efficient and being able to offer  products or services that are more personalized, 


0:30

because we'll be more clever about how  we approach that. But it's not going to  


0:36

replace humans in luxury hospitality. There  will be - gradually - certain functions which  


0:45

are going to be handled, I think, some certain support functions.


0:53

Functions of purchasing, perhaps  accounting, perhaps marketing  


1:00

or these companies or these departments will use the assistance of AI to be more productive. We may  


1:07

need to reduce staff because we will be able to  have more support from an artificial intelligence,  


1:14

especially with it's generative artificial  intelligence which learns and adapts. So we're  


1:21

going to use that to remain competitive. That  said, it goes only so far. I will say that the  


1:31

biggest shortfall of intelligence artificial is that it's perfect. It's perfect,  


1:41

they don't make mistakes. They write the text,  the text is perfect, it's perfectly written,  


1:47

perfectly. But what it means, what it needs is humanity and it needs the human touch to it. 


1:57

Humanity is best expressed through its the default and errors and imperfections. Although we strive  


2:05

to be perfect, we never are, and I think this is  what differentiates humanity from artificials. And  


2:15

when you come to luxury hotels you're looking for experience. You're looking for memories and those  


2:21

memories are created by humans, those memories are  created by imperfections, that we turn around and  


2:26

then suddenly we become you know the guest´s  biggest friends because we have established  


2:32

that connection or we create something unique -  this something unique is something that we have  


2:38

identified and this is not necessarily something  which is material, it's an emotion and curating  


2:47

those emotions is something that remains, for  now at least. Possibly until I'm long gone, we  


2:55

will still need people to serve. You know you can check in nowadays without going through the  


3:03

reception, you can be sent your key, you  pay by distance, you can enter and leave,  


3:09

this is your choice as a customer. But places  like this ... you stay because yes it's got a  


3:15

great location, good reputation, great design, but you stay because of the people. You stay and you  


3:23

come back because of the people and you will  see gradually robots producing food, you can  


3:34

already see that if you ask for certain application  software and you say I would like to have a  


3:42

reinterpretation of a shrimp cocktail but put in  the 21st century with the current trends in food,


3:49

you would be gobsmacked by what these programs can. They come up with photos et cetera,


3:59

now you have to produce it and you have to taste  it, got to smell it, almost have to listen to  


4:04

it when you crunch it, yeah, it's got sounds, it's got smells, it's got taste, it's got touches  


4:12

and feelings - that is still done by humans.  In our industry, especially at luxury level,

 

4:22

yes, you can replace a doorman by having a robot  opening the door, well. But you're not going to  


4:28

have a bit of attitude, a bit of a smile,  a bit of imperfection and character - oh,  


4:35

I'm sorry, I didn't see you, or an accent.  So I think for now we are safe. There will  


4:46

be more and more technology to support us  and to become more efficient in the future,  


4:52

but we're still very essentially a very human-based enterprise and therefore I'm not overly  


5:00

concerned of losing that or of not finding a job tomorrow. Well, we've had lots of conversations  


5:08

with your staff in the hallways and all that so  I I find that really difficult to be replaced  


5:14

and that's what really enhanced the visit - so  wonderful and unique and they make the experience,  


5:20

really. But you know, the task can be replaced  nowadays, you see robots are now making up rooms,  


5:27

so that happens. You don't need people to  check you in or out, you know we have actually  


5:34

tried out a robot in our back of house a  month ago to actually bring things, sole


5:44

items, from the kitchen to the staging area,  back and forth, and the robot is there,  


5:51

you feel it then. When the robot is full it  goes by itself and stops when there is something  


5:56

and then moves and goes to the thing until there is somebody. So it's there.[Music]