If the idea of robots taking over the world sounds appealing to you, you ought to consider booking a stay at Japan’s Henn-na Hotel. Slated to open this summer, the new accommodations will feature a staff of 10 robots, which will be programmed to do everything a human staff usually does (but probably with a lot less attitude and more efficiency, let’s be honest). From CNN:
They’ll be able to engage in intelligent conversations with human guests.
The hotel will also employ four service and porter robots, and others engaged in menial tasks such as cleaning.
The Henn-na Hotel — which roughly translates to “Strange Hotel”, go figure — will also employ a number of high-tech features meant to keep costs low. This is the future, y’all:
Other features will help make Henn-na the most futuristic low-cost hotel in the industry, according to the company.
Guestroom doors will be accessed by facial-recognition technology.
Amenities provided in rooms will be kept minimal. Guests can request items through a tablet when needed.
Instead of air-conditioning, a radiation panel will detect body heat in rooms and adjust the temperature.
Solar power and other energy-saving features will be used to reduce operating costs.
Located within Huis Ten Bosch, a Nagasaki theme park modeled after The Netherlands (really), the hotel will also utilize a bidding process for its room rates:
It’s a two-story structure with only 72 rooms, that’s why you’ll have to bid for the right to stay during peak periods. The good news is that bids are capped, so the rates really aren’t that bad, especially for Japan: single occupancy rooms begin at $60 per night, while the highest possible price for a triple room is $153. In 2016, 72 more rooms will be available once the second phase of construction is done, and they’ll most likely be launched with even more robotic employees.
Check out a few more photos of what to expect from the Henn-na.