WEIRD

WHAT IT IS?

The first Henn na hotel (literally, “Weird hotel”) has been opened for business since 2015. The Henn na Hotel in Sasebo (Japan) is the first of its kind in the world, entirely staffed by robots. The hotel was created with the aim of being eco-friendly and efficient.

The Henn na Hotel is a chain of hotels that, owned by the Henn na Hotel Group. The group is a Japanese company that specializes in providing unique and efficient services. Currently there are 14 Henn na Hotels in Japan. One of the Henn na hotels, which is located in Nagasaki since 2016, worth around $9M and was built with the help of robots.

Hideo Sawada, the owner of Henn na Hotel, is committed to providing guests with an unforgettable experience.

The first thing you’ll see when you arrive at the hotel’s entrance is the cloak robot, who will load luggage of hotel guests inside boxes.

At the front desk there are three robot receptionists, that can speak multiple languages: one tiny bot, a female humanoid, and a dinosaur, who welcome the guests and handle check-in procedures. It is, not a typical check-in experience.

In the lobby, a concierge robot offers information about the hotel and a porter robot is on hand to guide guests to their rooms.

All rooms feature a cute robot. It can carry out tasks such as adjusting the room lighting or arranging wakeup calls through voice commands.

Another highlight of this innovative hotel is facial recognition. Keyless locking and entry, however, if this technology isn’t your thing, you can request a card key if you wish.

Of course, a human staff is also on hand for guests 24/7 in case of a problem, however robots take over the primary staff.

There is no restaurant or room service at the Henn-na Hotel, however there is a café, where friendly bot will help you with your drinks.

WHY IT´S COOL?

• The Henn-na hotel is an energy-efficient smart hotel unlike anything you’ve seen before. By incorporating robots and using radiant panels as an air-conditioning system, they have managed drastically cut labor and energy costs and at the same time it’s adds to the fun.

• This “Instagrammable” hotel is everything, but boring, that will catch the interest of the public.

• Full interaction with robots, from check-in to check-out.

• Robots are able to produce incredibly accurate, consistent, and high-quality work without needing a break.

WHY IT HAS FUTURE GROWTH POTENTIAL?

This is an example of how a robotic hotel can function in the hotel business and how hotels can save their costs by incorporating technologies. The advantage of the Henn na is that they are the first robot-stuffed hotel and therefore, they will only improve with time.