Non-stop access to “hotel fridges”: Carrefour Belgium and Accor test a new BuyBye
- François Remy
- Jul 10
- 2 min read
The BuyBye concept of smart, autonomous refrigerators, already tested in Belgium, is being introduced into a hotel formula at the ibis Styles near Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport.
In the Paris-Charles de Gaulle area, business travelers, tourists, and airport staff often live outside of the opening hours of traditional restaurants. The Ibis Styles Roissy CDG hotel has therefore adopted a new offering to try to meet the needs of this specific audience: the BuyBye concept, smart, autonomous refrigerators accessible 24/7 in grab-and-go mode.
Hotel guests unlock the doors using their bank card or mobile payment app, then choose their products from a selection ranging from snacks to prepared meals, which are then automatically identified and billed. "All this in complete autonomy thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). It's the very first hotel micro-store – 6 m² – powered entirely by AI," Carrefour Belgium boasts.
The retail chain and French hotel group Accor are inaugurating it this Thursday, marking the beginning of a partnership seen as promising, which would constitute a "key step" in the deployment of the formula. "With Carrefour BuyBye at the Ibis Styles Roissy CDG, we are combining the best of both worlds: Carrefour's innovative, customer-centric retail solutions and Accor's hospitality expertise," said Arnaud Lesne, Director of Innovation & Partnerships at Carrefour Belgium.
Gradual experimentation or slow adoption?
Carrefour had previously tested this new BuyBye shopping experience in our stores. The group is collaborating with the Portuguese startup Reckon.ai, whose smart, autonomous, and turnkey micro-store solution is patent-pending. The technology relies in particular on computer vision, a type of AI that gives machines the ability to understand what they are filming or photographing.
Strategically positioned cameras on each shelf of the refrigerator provide double-checking, ensuring maximum accuracy in invoicing. And, in addition to recognizing products, the system also allows for real-time inventory tracking.
Since December 2023, starting with its pilot micro-store in Zaventem, Carrefour has been analyzing customer feedback and evaluating ways to implement the solution more widely. In theory, this hands-on consumer experience, encouraging "impulse purchases," as Reckon.ai argues, helps develop a proximity strategy.
But the concept has apparently not spread much in the meantime. A BuyBye is in operation at the Brussels headquarters of the advertising group Publicis, another at SHAPE, on the NATO military base near Mons, and a third at the Service Center of… Carrefour Belgium.
Last year, a similar point of sale was also installed "for small appetites" in a pop-up store in Ixelles dedicated to Reeborn, Carrefour's second-hand platform.
Could this be an example of cautious testing of a technology that is known to be more effective than it is expensive? Could it be a sign of slow adoption by a public already generally satisfied with the accessibility of snacks and other ready-to-eat meals? It remains to be seen. In any case, the brand claims the concept's solidity based on its "initial successes in Belgium."
