New Japanese Hotel Is Staffed With Adorable Job-Stealing Robots
Henn na Hotel, in Sasebo, Nagasaki, is staffed almost entirely by robots. A grinning velociraptor in a bellhop hat takes your check-in information; an automated cart takes your luggage to your room. The robots aren’t a gimmick, the hotel’s owner told the Associated Press, but an earnest bid to save money. Unlike pesky humans, the bots don’t require payment for their services.
At Henn na—which opens today, and whose name translates to “Weird Hotel”—the concierge is a delightfully eggheaded android, which can give you information about breakfast, but not “call a cab or do other errands,” the AP reports.
At Henn na, the bellhop is a rolling shelf. Here he comes! You don’t have to tip him, which is nice.
At Henn na, a mechanical arm places your belongings in a storage locker. Unlike the other robots, who promote cost-cutting efficiency, this robot seems like an unnecessary middleman. Can’t the humans operate the lockers on their own? This is a bad robot.
At Henn na, this friendly ASIMO-style droid stands alongside the dino receptionist. He never gets tired or angry.
At Henn na, all these machines may be starting to give you the creeps. Don’t worry —the third receptionist is a perfectly realistic humanoid. Comforting, isn’t it?
At Henn na, the president is a human man named Hideo Sawada, who is presumably paid at least a living wage. This is strange. Perhaps his job is too complex for the robots to understand and perform to satisfaction. Maybe someday.
