59%
Houston hotel occupancy in 2025. RevPAR was $71, down 9% on 2024, while the average daily rate held at $120.
Source: Houston First, 2025 full year
Hotels · Houston · Delivery · Cleaning · Lobby
Hotel robots for Houston: room deliveries, cleaner corridors, a front desk that stays staffed.
Delivery robots take towel and amenity runs, cleaning robots work lobbies and corridors on a schedule, and a lobby robot points guests the way. Surveyed, installed and serviced locally.
- Local install and service · Stafford, TX
- Site survey before any quote
- Buy, finance or Robotics-as-a-Service
Your 2026 investment window closes in: December 31, 2026, 11:59 PM Houston time
Plan for 2027 · 100% bonus depreciation is permanent
Prefer to talk now? Call Exel Robotics (832) 363-7005
Follow the hotel day
05:30 · Shift changeThe numbers
Houston hotels, by the numbers.
In 2025 the average rate held while occupancy fell, so the margin has to come from the hours. Three public numbers, each linked to its source.
38%
Housekeeping is the most-cited shortage area. 65% of hotels surveyed were short-staffed.
$14.72an hour
Houston’s average housekeeping wage; janitors average $15.70. Labor is more than 50% of hotels’ operated-department expenses.
Sources: BLS wage survey, Houston metro, May 2025 · CBRE, 2025 data
Turnover: in accommodation and food services, workers quit at 4.2% a month in 2025, about twice the 2.0% rate across all jobs (national; hotels are not published separately). Sources: BLS JOLTS, accommodation and food services · BLS JOLTS, all jobs
06:00 · BriefingWho does what
Robots take the runs. Your team keeps the guests.
What robots take
- Floors: lobby, corridor and ballroom passes on a schedule.
- Runs: towels, amenities and room-service trips to the room.
- Wayfinding: “where’s the gym?” and the other repeat lobby questions.
- Back of house: service corridors, garages and loading areas.
What stays with your team
- Rooms and beds. Robots never clean guest rooms or make beds.
- The welcome at the front desk.
- Problem-solving and service recovery.
- Detail cleaning and inspections.
Why we split it this way: guests prefer people at every one of 9 hotel touchpoints, and 66% want a human welcome at the front desk (Mews guest survey, via Hotels magazine; a vendor survey). So robots carry and clean, and people welcome guests.
07:15 · Amenity runDelivery robots
How a hotel delivery robot works.
A guest calls for towels at 11 p.m. Someone at the desk loads the robot’s locked compartment and sends it to the room, and nobody leaves the desk. The guest opens the compartment at the door.
- Towels
- Toiletries
- Amenities
- Room service
- Restaurant-to-room
With elevator integration it can call and ride elevators.
KONE and OTIS connect through Pudu’s cloud control; other brands use a hardware kit OEM claim. Scoped on the site survey.
Delivery robots are already in service at hotels operating under major U.S. brands (Hotel Dive, 2023).
Load at the desk
Manufacturer footage (Pudu) · loading an amenity order, then waiting at the guest’s door
Delivery · towels, amenities, room service
Pudu FlashBot Max
- 2–4 lockable compartments, 10 kg each
- Up to 9 h run time; 4 h charge
- Compartments open by password, phone or NFC
OEM claimPudu product page
ConstraintElevators recall on a fire alarm, so the robot must stop or return to its dock. We set that up and test it at install. It needs a 60 cm path.
Footage on this pageManufacturer footage (Pudu)
10:00 · CorridorsCleaning robots
Lobby, corridor and back-of-house cleaning robots.
Floors done before the first guest wakes. Cleaning robots work a mapped route on a schedule, on carpet or hard floors depending on the model, while housekeeping stays on rooms. They never clean guest rooms or make beds.
- The same route every pass, on the schedule you set: overnight, before the morning rush, between events.
- A quiet mode for guest areas: Phantas runs at or below 60 dB in quiet mode OEM claim.
Lobby lounge · carpet
Partner-network footage, not an Exel site · a cleaning robot on lounge carpet
Lobby
Vacuum or scrub lobby floors before the morning rush, and again after check-out.
Corridors
Work the long guest-room corridors floor by floor, the passes that eat housekeeping hours.
Ballrooms & meeting space
Vacuum carpet between events, so the setup crew starts on a clean floor.
Back of house
Service corridors and staff areas, and garages or loading docks with a big-venue sweeper.
Overnight
Run while guests sleep and the halls are empty, on the shift that’s hardest to staff.
Lobby, corridors, ballrooms · carpet and hard floor
Pudu CC1 Pro
- 4-in-1: sweep, scrub, vacuum and dust mop; vacuum-only on carpet
- 700–1,000 m² an hour, full coverage
- Scrub up to 5 h; carpet vacuum up to 4 h
OEM claimPudu product page
ConstraintAutomatic water refill needs the optional station.
Footage on this pageNone of the CC1 Pro yet
Partner-network footage (Gausium), not an Exel site · Phantas on a lounge floor
Lobby and restaurant hard floors · quiet hours
Gausium Phantas
- 350–700 m² an hour in practice
- Scrub or vacuum 4.5 h; dust mop 10 h; about 2 h charge
- Quiet mode at or below 60 dB
OEM claimGausium spec page
ConstraintNeeds a 650 mm pass. The spec page makes no carpet or elevator claim, so neither do we.
Footage on this pagePartner-network footage (Gausium)
Big spaces · garage, porte-cochère, loading dock
Pudu MT1
- Built for big venues, up to 100,000 m²
- 70 cm cleaning width; 35 L bin
- Auto-empty station optional
OEM claimPudu product page
ConstraintThe hotel areas listed above are our suggestion, not Pudu’s; we confirm the fit on the survey.
Footage on this pageNone of the MT1 yet
15:00 · ArrivalsLobby robot · temi
Lobby greeter robots: directions and answers.
temi is a lobby robot with a 13.3-inch screen. It can walk guests to the gym or the ballroom, answer common questions by voice, and put a guest on a video call with your staff. The welcome itself stays with your team.
Lobby · wayfinding, questions, video call
temi
- 13.3-inch screen; 3 kg tray
- Up to 8 h run time; LiDAR navigation
- Guide, Delivery, Ads and Telepresence modes for hospitality
OEM claimtemi product page
ConstraintNo built-in check-in, and no elevator claim, so it does not deliver to rooms. Voice is English only.
Footage on this pageManufacturer footage (temi)
Wayfinding
Manufacturer footage (temi) · guiding a guest across a lobby
Built in
- WayfindingLeads guests to saved locations: the ballroom, the restaurant, the pool or the gym.
- Voice answersAnswers common lobby questions by voice. English only.
- The 13.3-inch screenShows your hotel’s features, events and signage.
- TelepresenceConnects a guest to a staff member by video call.
Built-in features per temi’s product page and hospitality page OEM claim
With custom apps (scoped on request)
- Check-in and check-out helpA custom app on temi’s screen. Not built in.
- Today at the hotelThe day’s events in your hotel.
- Around HoustonCity events and local information.
- Traffic and flightsTraffic and flight status for guests on the move.
These are custom apps built on temi’s developer kit (SDK). They are not part of the robot out of the box; each one is scoped and quoted separately on request.
16:30 · EngineeringSite survey
The elevator and Wi-Fi site survey.
Every hotel is different, so we survey before we quote. This is the checklist your chief engineer will see on the day.
- Elevator make and controllerKONE and OTIS cars connect through Pudu’s cloud control with no elevator modification; other brands use Pudu’s hardware kit OEM claim.
- Wi-Fi along every routeRobots need dependable coverage on each floor and in the elevator lobbies.
- Doors, thresholds and path widthsFor example, FlashBot Max needs a 60 cm path OEM claim.
- Fire-alarm recallElevators recall on a fire alarm, so robots must stop or return to their docks (IEEE paper).
- ADA routes and dock placementAccessible routes keep 36 inches clear, so docks and waiting points go outside them (ADA standards). Not legal advice.
- Who regulates your elevatorsInside the city, elevators fall under the City of Houston rather than the state (TDLR).
What a hotel robot costs: what a quote includes.
Cost depends on how many robots, how many floors and whether elevators need integrating; on buying, financing or Robotics-as-a-Service; and on the service plan. So the price comes in a single written quote after your survey, not from a list.
- RobotsThe models that fit your jobs and floors, and how many.
- MappingYour floors, routes, no-go zones and docks.
- Elevator integrationCloud or hardware kit, where it applies.
- TrainingHousekeeping, F&B and front-desk teams.
- Service planLocal service from our partner in Stafford, TX.
- Your termsBuy, finance or Robotics-as-a-Service.
18:00 · HandoverHow it works
From survey to working robots.
One local team from the first walk of your floors to ongoing service.
- Step 1
Free site survey
We walk your lobby, corridors, ballrooms and back of house, and check elevators, Wi-Fi and doors.
- Step 2
A written plan
Which robot fits which job and shift, then a written quote with buy, finance or RaaS options.
- Step 3
Install and mapping
Delivery, mapping of your floors and routes, and elevator integration where it applies.
- Step 4
Staff training
Your housekeeping, F&B and front-desk teams learn to load, dispatch and schedule the robots.
- Step 5
Local service
Ongoing service from our partner RobotLAB Houston West, Stafford TX.
20:00 · PayrollHours estimator
Your hours, your numbers.
A cleaning robot’s value is the floor-care time it takes off your team’s schedule. This estimator runs only on numbers you enter, so it starts blank.
Labor hours you can redeployYour inputs
hours a day
Enter between 0.5 and 500 hours.
an hour
Houston’s average housekeeping wage is $14.72 an hour (BLS, May 2025). Not a fully loaded cost.
Enter a wage between $1 and $200.
%
Estimate based on your inputsPer year
Hours · redeployed each year
Labor hours you can redeploy—
Daily hours × 365 days × share
Dollars · at your wage
Labor dollars you can redeploy$—
Yearly hours × your hourly wage
Enter your hours, wage and share to see an estimate.
Check these numbers on a free site surveyEstimate based on your inputs: hours × 365 days × share × wage. It is not a quote or a guarantee. What a robot can take over depends on your floors, layout and schedule, and we confirm it on the survey. Redeployed hours go to guest-facing work; they are not a promised payroll cut.
22:30 · Night auditYear-end timing
Year-end timing: robots may qualify for your 2026 return.
- Equipment you own or finance and place in service by December 31, 2026 may qualify for 100% bonus depreciation, now permanent for property acquired after January 19, 2025 (IRS Notice 2026-11), or for Section 179 up to $2.56 million for 2026, phasing out above $4.09 million (Rev. Proc. 2025-32).
- It needs 2026 taxable income at least the size of the deduction. A smaller income means a smaller 2026 saving.
- Hotel equipment, robots included, can qualify. Confirm with your tax advisor. Extended-stay property? Ask your advisor about the lodging rule (IRS Pub 946; 26 USC 50(b)(2)).
- Robotics-as-a-Service: payments are generally deductible as a business expense; bonus depreciation goes to the equipment owner. Confirm with your advisor.
- Timing: Houston hotels ran at 50% occupancy in December 2025 (Houston First), so the quieter December weeks suit an install. Survey now; we can’t promise every install lands before December 31.
Our banking partners are lined up to finance your investment.
Financing is subject to credit approval.
Not tax advice. Confirm eligibility with your tax advisor.
Your 2026 exampleFederal
Placed in service by Dec 31, 2026 : may count on your 2026 return.–– days leftThe 2026 window has closed · plan for 2027 · 100% bonus depreciation is permanent
Enter an amount between $1,000 and $50,000,000.
Step 1 · The deduction, if it qualifies
Deducted on your 2026 return$—
Equipment cost, placed in service in 2026
Step 2 · Deduction × your rate
Estimated federal tax saving≈ $—
Equipment cost × your federal rate
Above $2.56 million, Section 179 tops out; 100% bonus depreciation has no cap.
Illustrative estimate from your inputs; not a quote or a guarantee. Assumes 2026 taxable income at least the size of the deduction; pass-through owners may see a smaller saving after the 20% QBI deduction. Federal estimate. Texas has no personal or corporate income tax. Ask your accountant about the franchise (margin) tax. Hotel note: equipment used to furnish lodging is an advisor question under IRS Pub 946 and 26 USC 50(b)(2). For buy, finance and RaaS modes, use the full estimator. Not tax advice.
23:59 · Dec 31, 2026Year-end
To count on your 2026 return, robots must be purchased and placed in service by December 31, 2026.
Mapping, elevator integration and staff training take time, so the earlier you book your survey, the more options you have.
The 2026 window has closed · plan for 2027 · 100% bonus depreciation is permanent
Your 2026 investment window closes in
Book a free site surveyCounts down to 11:59 PM, December 31, 2026, Houston time.
01:00 · OvernightPublished results
What’s been published about robots like these.
We don’t have Houston hotel customers to quote yet, so here is what others have published, attributed and linked. None of them are Exel customers.
- Hotel Dive · 2023 · trade press
Delivery robots are in service at hotels operating under major U.S. brands.
Read the articleCategory context. Not Exel customers. - Gausium case study · vendor-published · accessed Oct 2026
InterContinental Wien deployed Phantas and Vacuum 40, citing a labor shortage and inconsistent cleaning quality.
Read the case studyNot an Exel customer. Gausium robots. - Gausium case study · vendor-published · accessed Oct 2026
Hotel Prinz Rudolf reports one Phantas covering up to 400 m² a day.
Read the case studyNot an Exel customer. Gausium robot. - Pudu case study · vendor-published · accessed Oct 2026
Parkhotel Eisenstadt describes running a FlashBot Max for deliveries inside the hotel.
Read the case studyNot an Exel customer. Pudu robot.
02:00 · Quiet hoursFAQ
FAQ: good questions.
Will it work with our elevators?
Per Pudu, KONE and OTIS cars connect through a cloud control with no elevator modification, and other brands through a hardware kit (OEM claim). We survey before we quote: elevator make, Wi-Fi, doors and fire-recall behaviour. Properties inside the city fall under City of Houston elevator rules (TDLR).
What happens to a robot in the elevator during a fire alarm?
On a fire alarm, elevators go into recall, so a delivery robot must stop or return to its dock rather than ride (IEEE). We set that behaviour during install and test it with your engineer.
Our guests want people, not robots.
Agreed, and the design follows it. Guests prefer people at every hotel touchpoint (Mews survey, via Hotels magazine; a vendor survey), so robots carry and clean while people welcome guests.
Will robots replace our housekeepers?
No. Robots take corridor passes, lobby floors and runs. Guest rooms and beds stay with your team.
Can temi check guests in?
No. temi has no built-in check-in; it handles wayfinding, voice answers, the screen and video calls to staff.
What about ADA and accessible routes?
Accessible routes must keep 36 inches clear (ADA standards). We map docks and waiting points outside those routes. Not legal advice.
Are they certified? What about insurance?
We don’t claim UL certification: we found no public UL 3300 certificate for these models (UL 3300). Insure robots as business equipment with your carrier.
How many runs can one delivery robot take?
It depends on your property. One published example: The Concordia in Washington, DC reports about 2,500 deliveries a year with a robot from another maker (Relay case study, vendor-published). Not an Exel customer.
What does it cost?
It depends on the number of robots, floors and elevator integration; on buying, financing or Robotics-as-a-Service; and on the service plan. A written quote follows the survey. See what a quote includes.
What if a robot breaks?
Local service comes from our partner RobotLAB Houston West, Stafford TX.
Does the 2026 deduction apply to us?
It may. It needs owned or financed equipment placed in service by December 31, 2026, and 2026 taxable income at least the size of the deduction. Hotel equipment, robots included, can qualify; extended-stay properties should ask their advisor about the lodging rule. Robotics-as-a-Service payments are generally deductible as a business expense instead. Not tax advice; confirm with your tax advisor.
06:00 · Your hotel nextLive calendar
Book a free site survey.
Pick a time on the live calendar for an on-site survey, or a 15-minute call if you’d like to start there. After the survey you get a written plan, then a written quote.
Buy, finance or Robotics-as-a-Service. Our banking partners are lined up to finance your investment, subject to credit approval.
Call · Exel Robotics(832) 363-7005
Surveys, installation and serviceWith our partner RobotLAB Houston West, Stafford TX
Site survey or 15-min callLive calendar