According to the Zhitong Finance APP, Dongfang Securities released a research report stating that common uses of hotel robots include delivery and cleaning, currently focusing on inter-floor delivery and nighttime demand. The global hotel service robot market is expected to reach approximately USD 1.42 billion in 2024 and USD 7.04 billion by 2033, with a CAGR of 17.8% from 2025 to 2033. The Chinese market grew from RMB 500 million to RMB 1.1 billion from 2019 to 2023 (CAGR of 20.8%) and is expected to reach RMB 3.6 billion by 2028 (CAGR of 26.4% from 2023 to 2028). Overall, while the Chinese hotel robot market is still relatively small compared to the global market, it has greater growth potential due to higher growth rates and accelerated penetration.
Dongfang Securities pointed out that taking a hotel delivery robot as an example, the unit price starts at around RMB 20,000 to 30,000; if two units are configured, additional costs for elevator and access control integration (accounting for 20-30% of total costs), maintenance fees (approximately 10% of the purchase price per year), training, and consumables must be added. A mid-range hotel with 150 rooms equipped with two robots would have a total investment of about RMB 60,000 over five years, while if the same services were fully provided by human labor, the labor cost over five years could reach RMB 750,000, with the cost per task for robots as low as RMB 0.5 per task. This indicates that as hardware prices decrease and bulk purchasing increases, the average usage cost for hotels can be significantly optimized.
<h2>Key Points from Dongfang Securities:</h2>
Rapid market growth, initial industry concentration emerging
Common uses of hotel robots include delivery and cleaning, currently focusing on inter-floor delivery and nighttime demand. The global hotel service robot market is expected to reach approximately USD 1.42 billion in 2024 and USD 7.04 billion by 2033, with a CAGR of 17.8% from 2025 to 2033. The Chinese market grew from RMB 500 million to RMB 1.1 billion from 2019 to 2023 (CAGR of 20.8%) and is expected to reach RMB 3.6 billion by 2028 (CAGR of 26.4% from 2023 to 2028). In terms of concentration, the top five participants accounted for a total of 27.6% in 2023, with Yunji Technology leading at 12.2%. Current major competitors in the market include Gaoxian, Qinglang, and Orion Star.
Overall, while the Chinese hotel robot market is still relatively small compared to the global market, it has greater growth potential due to higher growth rates and accelerated penetration. Driving factors include increased chain rates and rapidly declining hardware prices—for example, the average price of Yunji's &#34;Gege&#34; series dropped from RMB 26,800 in 2022 to RMB 20,900 in 2024, while the average price of its UP series robots plummeted by 60% within a year.
Hotel applications are gradually deepening, service processes are being reshaped
Taking Huazhu as an example, some of its All Seasons and Flower Inn stores have already integrated delivery robots as standard: guests can place orders through the app or at the front desk, and the robot automatically takes the elevator to deliver to the room door and provides voice reminders, with the entire process requiring no human intervention; this is particularly prominent during nighttime when staffing is tight. About 29% of hotels under BTG Hotels are equipped with delivery robots. Atour has long deployed robots for simple services, covering delivery and nighttime delivery scenarios. Marriott focuses on using robots for inter-floor delivery and lobby patrols in international hotels in Shanghai, Shenzhen, and other locations
In clean scenarios, some mid-to-high-end hotels have introduced floor cleaning robots, responsible for daily patrol cleaning of public areas such as lobbies and corridors, while human staff focus on detailed quality inspection and replenishment, enhancing the overall stability of the environment maintenance. The direct effects of these applications are: 1) More efficient delivery and cleaning, avoiding frequent departures of front desk staff; 2) Stable service during night and peak hours, reducing customer wait times; 3) Improved guest experience, achieving higher satisfaction due to fast and contactless service. Data from the hotel application of the robot &#34;Run&#34; under Yunji Technology shows that the introduction of robots can increase the average score of hotels on OTA platforms by about 0.1–0.2 points. The positioning of robots in hotels is shifting from a &#34;gimmick&#34; to a &#34;reliable assistant,&#34; gradually becoming a tool for enhancing brand image.
Future intelligent enhancement has great potential, with costs further optimized and reduced
Taking a hotel delivery robot as an example, the unit price starts at about 20,000 to 30,000 yuan; if two units are configured, additional costs for elevator and access control integration (accounting for 20–30% of total costs), maintenance fees (about 10% of the purchase price per year), training, and consumables need to be added. A mid-range hotel with 150 rooms equipped with two robots would have a total investment of about 60,000 yuan over five years, while if the same service were fully provided by human staff, the labor cost over five years could reach 750,000 yuan, with the cost per task for robots as low as 0.5 yuan per task. This indicates that with the decline in hardware prices and large-scale procurement, the average usage cost for hotels can be significantly optimized.
Future evolution directions worth noting: 1) Further cost optimization: Hardware prices continue to decline, and software subscriptions and large-scale deployments dilute maintenance and integration costs, leading to a continued decrease in overall usage costs per store; 2) Smarter navigation and scheduling: Multi-machine collaboration can reduce congestion and improve response speed; 3) More complex tasks: Expanding from delivery to disinfection, security patrols, etc., to enhance utilization; 4) More natural human-machine interaction: Voice and facial feedback enhance guest experience.
Targets
H World Group-S (01179): Annual report discloses progress in digital transformation, one of the first hotel groups in China to deploy robots on a large scale. BTG Hotels (600258.SH): Robots have covered 29%, with room for penetration improvement to enhance franchise profitability. Atour (ATAT.US): Emphasizes the introduction of intelligent technology in operations and management.
Risk Warning
Hotel robots are still in the early stages of introduction, and higher-than-expected system integration and maintenance costs, as well as increased hardware failure rates or task failure rates, may weaken investment returns

600258

HTHT

01179

Dongfang Securities released a research report indicating that the hotel robot market is growing rapidly, with the global market expected to reach USD 1.42 billion in 2024 and increase to USD 7.04 billion by 2033. The Chinese market has grown from RMB 500 million in 2019 to RMB 1.1 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach RMB 3.6 billion by 2028. With the decline in hardware prices and large-scale procurement, the cost of hotel usage is expected to be significantly optimized. The main uses include delivery and cleaning, and market concentration is gradually increasing, with the top five participants accounting for 27.6%

Dongfang Securities: The hotel robot market is growing rapidly, and costs are expected to be further optimized and reduced