Dinosaur to Greet Guests at Robot Hotel
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A hotel staffed by robots is set to open in the south-western Japanese town of Sasebo.
From facial recognition-operated doorways to switchless lighting assistant, the hired help of Henn na Hotel - Japanese for 'Weird Hotel' - don't work for tips and won't get snarky at you for lost keys or late checkouts.
The concierge for Japanese speaking guests is a humanoid female complete with moving lashes while the first point of interaction for English speaking customers is inexplicably a robotic velociraptor, according to a report by Sky News on Saturday.
As well as greetings, robots deal with carrying luggage and the operation of a cloakroom for guest's valuables.
Room service is provided by drones with an in-room assistant handling temperature and lighting control.
Hotel operator Sawada is quick to point out robots won't 'completely replace human workers' due to their limitations but 'can't be beaten for politeness'.
To ease the mind of the Hollywoodly imaginative, security cameras dot the premises and humans take care of the security of guests and watch the every move of the automated employees.
Despite operating within an amusement park, hotel operator Hideo Sawada says the hotel is not a gimmick and is an attempt at using technology to maximize efficiency.
'I wanted to highlight innovation," Sawada said. 'I also wanted to do something about hotel prices going up.
'I think low-cost hotels will become a trend just as low-cost airlines did.'
Sawada, the CEO of budget travel company HIS, wants Weird Hotel to be ahead of that curve, with the accommodation being aimed at those 'travelling on a budget'.
A room at the robot hotel starts at 9,000 yen ($A80) with plans to implement an auction system during peak holiday season.
