Let's discuss Henn na Hotel coming to Kanto

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Major travel agency H.I.S. Co. on Wednesday celebrated the opening of its second robot-staffed Henn na Hotel. The new location is near Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture.

It is the company's first opening of a hotel staffed by robots in the Kanto region, and there are plans in the works to launch 100 more, including overseas, within the next five years.

The aim of Henn na Hotel "is not about being strange, it's about transforming and evolving," Hideo Sawada, founder and chairman of H.I.S., said during an opening ceremony.

"Having robots in charge of the reception and placing robots everywhere, we aim to make it the most efficient hotel in the world."

Sawada said the company decided on Urayasu for its new location — called Henn na Hotel Maihama Tokyo Bay —because of its proximity to the Disney resort. He said the entertainment aspect of the hotel could match the tastes of those who visit the theme park and vacation resort.

The original Henn na Hotel opened in July 2015 near the Dutch theme park Huis Ten Bosch in Sasebo, Nagasaki.

The concept of the hotel is "excitement meets comfort." It was recognized by Guinness World Records in November last year as "the first robot-staffed hotel" in the world.

The reception desk is handled by robots that speak Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean, as well as porter robots that help guests carry luggage to their rooms. Tasks such as window-cleaning and vacuuming are also handled by robots.

The Nagasaki hotel is keyless, using facial-recognition instead. It also reduces electricity usage via motion sensors that turn lights on and off automatically, and has an air-conditioning system that is sensor-controlled.

In Chiba, the six-story building features 100 rooms and uses about 140 robots. Seven human employees are also on site at all times to provide assistance, particularly in emergencies.

New to the Urayasu branch is the egg-shaped AI robot Tapia that is placed in each room. The voice-activated robot works as a concierge and will turn on appliances on command.

First published in The Japan Times on March 16.

Warm up

One-minute chat about travel.

Game

Collect words related to the hotels, e.g., leisure, room, sleep.

New words

1) evolve: to develop gradually, e.g., "Creatures evolve over thousands of years."

2) proximity: nearness, e.g., "Are there any convenience stories in the proximity?"

3) aspect: particular side of something, e.g., "Which aspect of the problem should we work on?"

4) appliance: instrument or device, e.g., "To save energy, please turn off all the appliances when you leave."

Guess the headline

'S_ _ _ _ _ _' hotel, run by r_ _ _ _ _, opens near Tokyo; more to come

Questions

1) What is the special feature of the hotel in the article?

2) Is it the first hotel to be run according to this concept?

3) How many "human employees" will there be at the hotel?

Let's discuss the article

1) Would you like to stay at this type of hotel?

2) What do you think are important factors when it comes to accommodation?

3) What predictions do you have for automatized services in the future?

Reference

海外からの旅行客増加に伴い旅行業界が盛り上がっていることや2020年のオリンピックでホテル不足が予想されることなどもあり、ホテルへの需要は大きくなっています。

そんな中でホテルの名前までも"変な"ホテルが関東エリアにオープンとなりました。人によるおもてなしを打ち出してきたこれまでの日本式のサービスとは大きくことなるその特徴は日本人や海外からの旅行客からも注目を集め そうですが、宿泊客からはどのような評価を受けていくのでしょうか。また、 これまでは人が提供するものとされてきたサービスは自動化の波を受けて これからどのように変化していくのでしょうか。

朝の会に参加し、皆さんで話し合ってみましょう。