An automated Alibaba hotel is set to open in Hangzhou.

The move showcases the e-commerce giant’s technological capacity and serves to diversify its scope of business – with a view to demonstrating and selling its data-driven innovations. The company has claimed the hotel will be more efficient than manned properties within a comparable price range.

The Alibaba hotel, which has already accepted bookings, features robotics, facial recognition, smart speakers, voice-activated lighting and room service, and automated alerts for cleaning. Hotel guests will be able to purchase any item featured in the rooms on Alibaba’s website.

The hotel’s features are well in advance of similar voice-command technologies recently offered to the hospitality industry by Chinese search engine Baidu, although a similar hotel was launched by Shenzhen firm Smart LYZ in Chengdu earlier this year.

A statement from the company read: “The solutions deployed at Alibaba’s Future Hotel can be used to streamline the operation of [China’s] hospitality sector while improving the experience of guests.”