TITUSVILLE, Fla. — A recent study by the American Hotel and Lodging Association found 87% of hotels are facing staffing issues.

“A lot of these hotels have actually canceled room service in their hotels and this is a big issue,” said Timothy Tanksley of Richtech Robotics.

A possible solution to the issue is concierge services by robot.

It’s happening at a new space-themed hotel at the Courtyard by Marriott Titusville/Kennedy Space Center, where it’s helping to free up staff and plug gaps in workforce shortages.

Front desk manager Allison Flaglor has worked with hundreds of co-workers over the years, but now, there’s a new member of the guest services crew.

In keeping with the hotel’s space theme, meet ‘Luna’, an autonomous concierge robot made by Richtech Robotics.

“She helps us with our customer service so we are able to deliver more items to our guests, especially if the front desk or housekeeping gets busy,” Flaglor said.

Guests can call and request Luna to bring items to their room, then staff scans a guest room QR code.

Luna is then on her way, navigating hallways and avoiding obstacles. And she connects to Wi-Fi to use the elevators.

“Sometimes, she can’t do her duties because people are standing in front of her taking pictures and videos,” Flaglor said.

General manager Wayne Soard says while Luna is a novelty, her function is vital in a time of staffing shortages in the hospitality field.

“Folks that come in from all over the world to help us with our seasons, because we can’t find enough local talent to get the right staffing levels to serve the guests,” Wayne said.

The hotel is also about to do a test pilot program with another robot which will vacuum and sweep floors, allowing staff to focus on other tasks.