Leave it to Japan. Say goodbye to room temperature control pads, curtain draw strings or even alarm clocks- and say Arigato to your new robot controlled room. Japan has always been on the forefront of technology, known for a minor to massive obsession with robots and now – the country offers the very first robot hotel. Good luck complaining about service…
The Henn-na Hotel, opened in Nagasaki in 2015 is really and truly run by robots. Robots will assist with check in, robots will assist with portering luggage to your room and a robot will control virtually everything in your room. Robots will even (theoretically) cook you breakfast. If that sounds amazing, and you’re into gimmicks– this is the spot for you. Best yet- you don’t even have to tip the luggage porters, though tipping is frowned upon in Japan anywhere, anyway.
At roughly $175 per night, it’s not the cheapest option in Nagasaki, but for Japanese hotels’ it’s remarkably affordable. Guest reviews are wildly amusing, ranging from brilliance to frustration. One review hilariously mentioned the “siri” like in room robot constantly interrupting phone calls- a feature that’s very tough to turn off. But, this “siri” of sorts is able to control all the rooms functions with just a single beckoning call- so call it even?
Japan is a place of unmatched substance and beauty, but it loves to throw a gimmick in every once in a while. For a night or two of pure amusement; and perhaps frustration, this could be just the sort of thing to make a trip you’ll never soon forget. You’ll just have to save your feedback for TripAdvisor, we don’t think the robots will be too interested.
HT: TPG
