A Hotel In Japan Is Run By Robots

The Henn na Hotel chain in Japan has become almost entirely staffed by robots.

Why It Hits: The human-facing hospitality industry is still in the early days of automation, but it’s already creeping into the US — with San Francisco’s LUMA Hotel using four onsite “digital curators” and Disney testing robots in its parks. Southeast Asian countries often lead the way in adopting emerging tech, making destinations like Japan a proving ground for innovations that could shape your next vacation.

Behind The Front Desk: Social distancing during COVID accelerated Henn na’s push to automate.

• The chain’s locations now employ dozens of robots, including humanoids at the front desk, mechanical dinosaur concierges, and in-room personal assistants (some capable of performing 70+ dances).
• Meanwhile, human headcount has dropped from about 40 per hotel to just eight — even for properties with over 100 rooms. During slower hours, only one human may be on duty, typically working behind the scenes on managerial tasks.
• Guests can still contact a human staff member via a hotline for anything beyond the robots’ capabilities.
• Labor cost savings have helped keep room prices low, averaging around $100 per night.

Check Out: Henn na first experimented with robot staffing in 2015, but tech hiccups — like in-room bots waking guests who snored too loudly — forced a partial rollback. Fast-forward a few years, and advances in tech (coupled with Japan’s aging population and falling birth rate) have reignited the automation push.

Future Visit: As humanoid robots become more common in hospitality, prepare for a dip into the uncanny valley — where they’re just helpful enough to be disappointing. Basically, automated customer service, but IRL.