Novotel and Mercure plan Singapore service robot rollout with YYForce

Novotel Singapore on Stevens and Mercure Singapore on Stevens have partnered with YYForce to introduce service robots across their 772-room precinct and support research into future humanoid hotel applications. Announced in Singapore on 13 October 2026, the confirmed rollout has not yet begun, with implementation dependent on technical readiness.

The initial phase covers guest deliveries, food and beverage logistics, scheduled cleaning and concierge support. The partners aim to reduce repetitive delivery, transport and cleaning duties so hotel employees can spend more time serving guests.

Deployment depends on operational preparation

Preparations include integrating robots with lifts, mapping routes, establishing network requirements and arranging guest notifications. Individual assignments and operating arrangements will be finalised before launch, matching tasks and locations to robot capabilities and hotel service requirements.

Planned delivery duties include transporting amenities and in-room dining orders, while restaurant and banquet logistics could involve selected service and clearing tasks. Food Exchange and Winestone are included in the operational planning, alongside cleaning in selected public areas, lobbies, guest corridors and restaurants.

Concierge robots are intended to provide directions and answer basic enquiries; check-in assistance requires separate assessment and approval. YYForce will supply hardware, software updates, maintenance and technical personnel under the memorandum of understanding, with support scope and commercial arrangements subject to final agreements.

Projected savings remain untested

A pre-deployment comparison projects approximately 10% lower monthly operating costs across selected housekeeping, concierge and food and beverage operations, including robot costs covered by the model. A separate planning assumption estimates a potential 5% reduction in rooms-department overtime costs.

The estimates use different bases and cannot be combined into an overall saving. Both depend on the model’s cost scope, operating coverage and service assumptions, with actual costs, productivity and guest-service outcomes to be assessed after deployment.

Proposed measures include delivery turnaround, tasks completed per labour hour, reliability, employee workload and guest feedback. General manager Piotr Kupiec said success would be judged by more consistent service and more manageable everyday work for hotel staff.

Humanoid research is separate from service rollout

A proposed subsequent phase will focus on developing YYForce’s humanoid system through selected housekeeping and banquet workflows. Permitted observations and agreed operational data would help researchers understand movements, spatial requirements and service protocols, informing hardware, software and AI development.

The research does not establish that humanoid robots can clean occupied guestrooms or run banquets independently. Contractual arrangements will govern research, data use and ownership of outputs, while any use of guest or employee personal data will require separate review and safeguards.

The hotels will retain rights to their operating protocols, confidential business information and brand assets. YYForce aims to develop proprietary robotics knowledge and permitted operational datasets that could support applications in other service-intensive industries.

For hotel operators, the collaboration will test whether robotics can deliver the projected efficiencies without compromising service. Novotel and Mercure are both Accor brands, with over 540 locations in more than 65 countries and more than 960 hotels in 65+ countries respectively.