Terminus Group lauds Expo 2020 Dubai as perfect business platform with talabat and HMH Hotel Group deals signed at World Fair's halfway point

Expo 2020 Dubai’s Official Premier Partner is bringing automated food delivery and AI-powered hospitality to new levels

Dubai, UAE: Terminus Group, an official premier partner to Expo 2020 Dubai, and the company behind the now famous orange robot mascot, Opti, has announced two major deals – both signed during the first few months of Expo 2020 Dubai. The first with talabat, the region's leading local tech platform, and the Official Food Delivery Provider for Expo 2020, and the other with Hospitality Management Holding (HMH) Hotel Group, owners of five distinct hotel brands across the Middle East and Africa.

The signings, held at Terminus Group’s new regional HQ located at the heart of the Expo 2020 in Al Wasl Dome suggests an increasing appetite – particularly from the F&B and hospitality businesses sectors – for integrating automation and robotics into their product and service offerings.

For talabat, that extends to the “tala-bots”, the autonomous delivery robots that many Expo 2020 visitors have become accustomed to, which are jointly designed by Terminus Group and talabat. For HMH, a number of hospitality-based service robots will cater to guests within one of its latest properties – with a view to potentially expanding that across the hotel group in the future.

While the deal with talabat was to launch 10 autonomous delivery robots to cater to the specific needs of Expo 2020, there is no doubt that last-mile delivery robots will play a major role in the future of food delivery - enhancing the community living experience. The “tala-bots” currently deployed at Expo 2020 Dubai have transformed food delivery systems, delivering across the expanse of the World Fair’s three major districts that include 192 country pavilions.

Employing the latest advanced tech for point-to-point food delivery, the robots can deliver orders from talabat’s state-of-the-art, two-storey, cloud kitchen to customers in eight designated talabat drop-off kiosks, strategically located throughout the Expo site. To ensure the orders are secure en route, customers can unlock the robots using unique QR codes or order IDs to ensure that food is delivered in a safe, contactless, and seamless manner.

Operating only on batteries, the “tala-bots” are also a major step towards a sustainable delivery operation that talabat was able to launch for the first time at Expo 2020 Dubai, which provides a testbed for innovation. Terminus Group and talabat designed the “tala-bots” in such a way that ensures maximum efficiency for the roles demanded of them. Additionally, the “tala-bots” fully integrate into talabat’s app interface and Terminus Group’s Robot Management System for seamless operations.

“We are absolutely delighted with the impact the “tala-bots” have had for our delivery solutions and customer experience. For us, our excitement extends far beyond their physical and innovative appearance: they will and are currently reshaping the way we order food, and we’re incredibly proud to bring this to EXPO 2020, alongside Terminus Group,” said Onur Elgün, VP Strategy talabat.

“While this deal was initially signed for the duration of Expo 2020, we are now in ongoing discussions with Terminus Group about how we can expand on this success and take the concept further. At talabat, we will continue to deliver new technologies which keep our customers’ experience at heart. The future of last-mile delivery is one where we’re seeing the optimization of technology and bringing about efficiency and convenience along the value chain,” Elgün added.

The second deal signed at Expo 2020 Dubai was with Hospitality Management Holding (HMH); the largest dry sector hotel operator in the Middle East region, operating a range of brands including Bahi Hotels & Resorts, Coral Hotels & Resorts, Corp Hotels, EWA Hotel Apartments, and ECOS Hotels.

The deal with Terminus Group will see the ECOS Dubai Hotel at Al Furjan, take on a variety of autonomous robotic solutions to enhance its customer service, deploying two types of robots within the property. The Titan Series Delivery Robots will cater to several room and F&B service functions, while the Attendant Robots are able to perform concierge services such as welcoming guests and providing answers to questions about the hotel, surrounding areas and Dubai’s attractions.

Commenting on the deal, Haytham Abdelaziz, Director of Operations, HMH said: “By adding automated robotic solutions into the mix of hospitality services, HMH’s goal is to maximise the impact of the services delivered at one of our newest and exciting properties – ECOS Dubai Hotel at Al Furjan. We always strive for all our guests to take away memorable experiences of their stay and, by being at the forefront of introducing such technology into this property, we will most certainly add to the already futuristic metropolis and unique tourism destination that is Dubai.”

The first two major commercial deals during Expo were officially signed at Terminus Group’s newly established Regional HQ, located in Expo 2020’s Al Wasl Dome. The office will remain as an anchor tenant of District 2020 – Expo 2020’s legacy, mixed-use, business and community project.

Arash Masomzadeh, GM of the robotics division at Terminus Group MENA, added: “While we are extremely proud of developing Expo 2020 Dubai’s now famous and iconic robot mascot – Opti – it is worth pointing out that there are a further 152 Titan Series robots, also provided by Terminus Group, offering a multitude of services and functions for Expo 2020 visitors.”

“With five variants in the series, Terminus Group robots are designed for specific purposes, yet all are multi-functional and programmable for a variety of business uses. It is clear from the business deals we have signed at Expo that the F&B and hospitality industries are among the early adopters of this advanced tech, and Terminus Group is pleased to partner with such esteemed companies to enhance their own customers’ experience.”

While Terminus Group is the Official Premier Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, the company’s offering extends beyond robotics into AI CITY, digital urban development, and as an AIoT solutions integrator. In fact, Terminus Group is the designer and developer of what is intended to be the world’s first fully integrated AI CITY, in Chongqing, China.