The Henn Na, or the Weird Hotel, is perhaps the craziest hotel on earth right now. This is the only hotel in Japan, and probably one of its kind in the world, where dinosaurs greet guests at the front desk instead of humans. Not only that, the dinosaurs also act as “bell boys” as they deliver the luggage of the guests to their rooms. Sounds crazy? Well, it’s as real as it gets.
English-Speaking Dinosaurs Can Be Cordial, Too
The receptionist at the front desk is a scary-looking dinosaur, and it speaks English fluently! The one which speaks Japanese is a female receptionist (a robot, actually), with blinking eyelashes. The archosaur at the receptionist’s desk instructs guests to push a button on the desk and fill in some information. From the receptionist’s desk, you will be escorted by a robotic concierge up to your hotel room, with automated porters taking care of your luggage. Well, this is what guests experience in Henn na Hotel Maihama Tokyo Bay day in and day out.
What’s The Real Story?
In reality, this literally “weird” hotel in Japan is “manned” by an assemblage of robots, with a few human hotel employees here and there. So, chances are thin that you would chance upon a human employee in case you decide to check in this Japanese hotel for a night or more. While it’s obviously a brilliant and unique marketing stunt, the real reason to employ (robotic) dinosaurs were to save labor costs. On the other hand, Hideo Sawada, a Japanese business tycoon running the show sees employing robots as a way to attain efficiency.
Technology Everywhere
Henn Ha Hotel recently made it to the news headlines not just because of the dinosaur receptionists, but for various technological innovations that have made this hotel truly unique. Instead of standard door keys, facial recognition technology is used so that guests can check in their rooms without a key. The conventional key was probably replaced just because robots are not really good at finding keys. There’s also a giant robotic arm in the entrance hall where guests can simply place an item on the arm as it works as a secure locker. So when the guest comes back, the giant arm will return the item. Sawada said that instead of using a traditional locker room, they wanted to highlight innovation. The doll-like concierge is also a robot with built-in voice recognition technology.
Japan Is Raising The Bar For The Global Robotics Technology
Japan is already a global leader in robotics technology, and the government is keen on promoting robotics as one of its pillars of economic growth. Robots have been in use in the Japanese manufacturing sector for a very long time, but Japanese industrialists and innovators are always trying to explore the potential of these humanoids when it comes to interacting with humans, offering a service, and even providing elderly care and treatment. The Henn Ha Hotel, however, still relies on humans when it comes to security. The entire hotel is under CCTV surveillance, and human security staff are monitoring the premises 24/7 so as to ensure that the guests are safe, and the robots are functioning properly. Sawada also regrets that his robots still cannot make beds. However, robots in this hotel can definitely serve simple snacks and beverages.
Drones Will Also Join The Team Soon
At present, Sawada and his team are experimenting with drones that can deliver a couple of small jars filled with simple snacks. Sooner or later, drones will join the robots, and not to forget, the front desk dinosaur to perform shows for the guests. Inside the rooms, there’s also a lamp-sized robot which can answer simple questions, like “What day is it?” and “How is the weather in Tokyo today?” Aside from that, there are no switches inside the rooms as the robot does the job of switching the lights on and off for you upon your command.
At present, the management is still trying to add more features to the mix just to ensure an unforgettable experience for all of their guests. With robots making their way into the hotel industry, it’s about time that the European and North American counterparts of this hotel would soon follow suit. The future is already here! Robots are already here!