The World's First Hotel with an All-Robot Staff: It Has Finally Happened

The hotel named Henn-na, which means strange or weird in Japanese, definitely lives up to its name. Where else will you be greeted by a dinosaur at the reception, who pleasantly says, “If you want to check in, press 1”? It also adds, “Please do not ask me difficult questions because I am a robot”. Yes, we are talking about the world’s first hotel with an all-robot staff, and we’re sure you’re curious to know more about it.

How this All-Robot Staffed Hotel Came About

Hideo Sawada, who runs the hotel, wanted to do something about the rising hotel costs and at the same time, wanted to be extremely innovative. He came up with this idea of enabling robots to take over basic human jobs at the hotel, which in turn would bring down the costs significantly. Sawada believes that luxury hotels may need staff for the extra care and attention, but for normal hotels, all that is required is a nice and comfortable stay, which can happen with little or no interaction with human staff. For instance, he introduced a concierge robot with voice recognition who gives you information about breakfast and events, and has deployed a drone to carry snacks to the rooms. His ambitions are high and he plans to open more such hotels, and even wants to bring drones to sing, dance and perform for the guests. He has however, deployed humans at the security to ensure everyone is safe and no untoward incidents take place.

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Checking in at Henn-na Hotel

After the robot dinosaur greets you, he prompts you to go through a facial recognition procedure, because that is the key to your room. Next to him is a beautiful Japanese female humanoid who checks in your luggage. Then you encounter a one-foot tall robot who scurries to find the room for you. Across the lobby, you will find more robotic fish and dinosaurs moving about doing various duties. Another major attraction is the robotic arm that places your luggage in lockers in case you wish to step out for a stroll before check-in.

Rooms at Henn-na Hotel

The hotel offers a choice of standard, superior and deluxe rooms, which come with all the amenities that normal hotels do. The cost per room varies between INR 9,000 to INR 25,000. Once you enter your room, you will find a cute little robot waiting to carry out your instructions, and tell you the time, the weather, etc. You can even ask her to turn the lights on or off for you. You’re sure to get bowled over by her! Most of the rooms have huge glass windows with a park-view, and wifi is available in all areas free of charge.

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Access to Henn-na Hotel

Located in Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan amid Huis Ten Bosch theme park, this all-robot staffed hotel is 20 minutes from Tokyo station, one hour from Haneda Airport and one-and-half-hour from Narita Airport.

Have you added it to your travel bucket list already?

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