Kakao Mobility's robot delivery service partnership with autonomous robot specialist Robotis has achieved an eightfold increase in robot utilization rates and significant revenue growth at major Korean hotels since 2024. The company plans to expand its platform-based robot ecosystem based on these results.
Kakao Mobility announced on the 16th that it has established a commercial robot delivery model at major domestic hotels in collaboration with Robotis, achieving improved operational efficiency and new revenue generation. The company signed a business agreement with Robotis in 2024 to launch "platform-based indoor and outdoor delivery robot services" and has deployed commercial robot delivery services at hotels including Shilla Stay Seocho and Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul.
Daily average robot utilization rates at these hotels increased approximately eightfold after the introduction of Kakao Mobility's platform. Delivery success rates reached 100%. As staff waiting time and repetitive tasks decreased, a virtuous cycle was established where hotel employees could focus on high-value work such as face-to-face customer service.
Revenue gains also materialized. At one hotel, room service sales tripled after combining the platform with a QR-based ordering system. This resulted from improved ordering convenience and increased customer awareness of room service options. Kakao Mobility stated this case "proves that robots can expand beyond operational efficiency tools into profit-generating models that create new revenue."
To enhance hotel operational efficiency, Kakao Mobility integrated robots and service infrastructure into a single platform. The company consolidated individual technologies including infrastructure, security, heterogeneous robot integrated control, and fault management into its robot platform, organically connecting the physical environment where robot deliveries occur with hotel staff and robots.
The company also applied real-time demand-supply forecasting algorithms and matching technology enhanced through a Transportation Management System (TMS). An automated orchestration system was implemented where the platform classifies delivery orders and performs optimized robot dispatching by reflecting demand-supply forecasts, each robot's characteristics, and estimated arrival times. Robot service operation consulting was also provided.
Kakao Mobility plans to expand its platform-based robot ecosystem leveraging these platform technologies and service standardization capabilities. The company intends to continue partnerships with leading domestic robot companies including Robotis, LG Electronics, and Bear Robotics to establish industry standards for robot ecosystem expansion and create success cases across various environments including hospitals, residential buildings, offices, and logistics facilities.
"The robot platform is a key link bridging the gap between manufacturers' technical capabilities and industrial field requirements," said Kim Jin-kyu, Head of Physical AI Division at Kakao Mobility. "We will help expand the domestic robot ecosystem based on mobility technologies Kakao Mobility has accumulated, including data-driven demand forecasting, demand-supply optimization, and routing."