The robot revolution has definitely started. A new hotel planned to be built in Japan will have robotic staff. While it’s not clear if these robots will tuck guests into their beds, the robots will definitely carry out other hospitality tasks.
A theme park based on Netherlands in Japan’s Nagasaki Prefecture, Huis Ten Bosch plans to have a hotel with robot staff and advanced technologies. The hotel’s name will be Henn-na Hotel, or Strange Hotel.
Park authorities say the first phase of the two storied hotel will open with 72 rooms on July 17th while the second phase will be completed with an additional 72 rooms in 2016. The hotel will operate under the motto ‘A commitment for evolution’ and feature three ‘actroids’ or robots with strong human features acting as receptionists.
These actroids will engage in intelligent conversations with human guests along with its four service and porter robots and other robots performing menial tasks like cleaning.
Hideo Sawada, the president of the hotel boasts that they will have the world’s most efficient hotel and hopes that robots will eventually run 90% of the property. According to Japan’s Nikkei News they plan to build 1000 similar hotels across the world.
The company states that the hotel’s other features will make it the most futuristic, cheap hotel in the industry. All guests’ rooms will be accessed by facial-recognition technology while room amenities will be kept minimal. Guests have to use a tablet to request items.
The rooms won’t have air-conditioning. Instead, a radiation panel detects body heat and accordingly adjusts the temperature. Operating costs are cut down with solar power and other energy-saving features.
As room rates vary based on demand, guests will not be presented with fixed price rooms. Instead, they have to bid for rooms during peak season. While the highest bids secure rooms, there is a bidding cap.
The opening room fees will be from JPY 7,000 ($60) for a single room to JPY 18,000($153), which is the highest bidding price, for a triple room. Superior and deluxe rooms however cost more.