With the vast population of mobile internet users, online booking for hotels is not something new. A smart self-service hotel was recently unveiled in Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan province. Compared to traditional hotels, customers can check in easily on a self-service terminal with their ID card and facial recognition, and there is no human service required. There are 24 rooms in this hotel; however, only three staff members are employed: a hotel manager and two security guards.

The "smart hotel" is an anticipated hotel operation model, embodying a high-level revolution in traditional hotel sector and solving problems such as high cost and shortage of human capital, Wang Yi, a professor at the School of Business Administration of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, told China News Service.