Upon arrival at Japan’s Henn na Hotel, you are greeted by a pair of receptionists nodding from behind the front desk as you check in at a tablet. A quiet grace emanates from their serene smiles, confident gaze, and perfect porcelain skin.
Say “good evening,” and they may blink. Ask for the weather report, and they may reply, "Tomorrow's weather is fine and 25C.”
They wear pristine white uniforms, blue silk scarves, and white caps that sit perfectly atop their glossy black bobs. They speak several languages. They are not actually humans but surprisingly realistic-looking humanoid robots.
If that sounds strange, the hotel chain is aware: After all, “henn na” does mean “strange” in Japanese. The concept launched in 2015, and at its peak in 2019 the hotel operated more than 200 of the hospitality robots. But the bots weren’t quite ready for prime time. Customers reportedly complained that a virtual personal assistant named Churi was prone to waking guests after mistaking their snoring for a request. As a result of such disturbances, the chain decommissioned half of its robot workforce.
“Henn na” means “strange” in Japanese. Photograph: Timothée Lambrecq
Then the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated public demand worldwide for touchless technology, giving the robot revolution a new infusion of interest.
Employing robots for functions typically performed by humans doles a twofold boon: Henn na can keep the rooms at an ultra-affordable rate, averaging just under $100 per night, and protect guests seeking to minimize human contact in the post-lockdown age. The novelty of automated robots handling check-in at certain Henn na hotels doesn’t hurt. Some, including Henn na locations in Kyoto and Osaka, exaggerate the effect by replacing the lifelike robots with multilingual dinosaur animatrons. The dinosaurs sport classic bellhop caps and wear either a matching bow tie or a scarf tied into a bow.
Robots began appearing more commonly in Japan over the past five years working as restaurant servers, convenience store cleaners, and companions to a wide swath of society. The industry is still in its infancy, and of course market size estimates vary depending on how narrowly or loosely “robot” is defined. But according to the Japan Society for the Promotion of Machine Industry study, the market for domestic caregiving robots in the country has doubled since 2021 to roughly $30 million.