Robot hotel to open in Japan

[darnkatz]

Hotel staffed by robots to open in Japan
'Strange Hotel' will use robot porters and cleaners, and facial recognition instead of room keys
February 5, 2015 11:10AM ET
by Renee Lewis

In a sign of the times, Japan is slated to open the world’s first
hotel staffed almost entirely by robots and controlled by the latest in
computer technology, according to the Japan National Tourism
Organization (JNTO).

The Henn-na Hotel, or “Strange Hotel,” will open its doors on July 17 on
the grounds of Huis Ten Bosch theme park near Nagasaki, according to an
announcement from JNTO on Jan. 28.


The hotel will initially be staffed by 10 robots working alongside
humans to provide a wide range of services from manning the reception
desk to carrying bags and cleaning rooms. The management hopes to
eventually have the hotel almost entirely staffed by the machines.



“In the future, we’d like to have more than 90 percent of hotel
services operated by robots,” said Huis Ten Bosch president Hideo
Sawada.


In addition to the robots, Sawada says the 72-room facility will feature
high-tech gadgetry aimed at making Henn-na the “most efficient hotel in
the world,” The Japan Times reported.


Instead of traditional air conditioning, for example, rooms will
feature radiation panels that create a “comfortable indoor environment
with no unevenness,” the hotel website added. The panels will
automatically detect body heat and adjust room temperature as needed.


Hotel guests will also be able to access their rooms using facial
recognition technology instead of room keys. Anyone uncomfortable with
the system will be free to use old-fashioned keys, the hotel’s website
said.


The hotel promises constant innovations as technology advances.


Henn-na Hotel has tentatively priced single and twin rooms at about $60 and $75 per night, respectively.


Sawada told Japan's Nikkei news website that he plans to take the business model global, opening 1,000 similar hotels around the world.

[pixy0stix]

[meshaliuknits]

That's not where you want to be when the robots gain sentience.

Sent from my EVO

[ttt]