The fun starts at the front desk, but it’s time to find out how far the weirdness extends through the hotel.

Back in 2015, Japan’s Hen na Hotel was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s first hotel with working robots. Since then, the chain has grown to encompass over 20 locations, with one of the most convenient being the branch near Haneda Airport.

Although rates vary throughout the year, Haneda is often the cheapest out of the chain’s many branches in Tokyo. By booking early at an official website with a “lowest price guarantee” and taking advantage of a 1,000-yen (US$6.41) discount for new member registrations, we were able to book a night without meals for 6,740 yen.

▼ So we hopped on the train and alighted at Otorii Station on the Keikyu Line, which is roughly a seven-minute walk from the hotel.

The hotel does have a shuttle service, which takes you from the station to the front door.

Stepping through the front door is like stepping into another world, with a mysterious purple glow beckoning you in.

The first thing you’ll come across is a tree that’s seemingly growing into the ceiling, and once you walk past the tree you’ll find…

▼ …a reception desk staffed by robots!

The “henn na” in the hotel name can mean both “weird” and “changing“, and although the company claims it’s connected to the latter, as they “promise to keep changing“, for most of the populace, the “weird hotel” moniker has stuck, because, well, how else would you describe a hotel that has robot staff at the front desk?

The robots working at the front desk when we visited were two dinosaurs and a humanoid, making the place seem like something out of a Jurrasic Park attraction or a haunted house rather than a hotel.

Guests can choose one of the three robots to check in with, and as an added bonus they all speak four languages: Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean.

We settled on the dinosaur on the left, who made us jump as it sprang to life, saying: “Welcome to the Henn na Hotel.”

The greeting was less dinosauric and more human, with a polite male voice emanating from the beast. They’d certainly trained their robots well, so we didn’t feel too intimidated by them as we entered our name on the touch panel and picked up our card key from the ticket machine.

If there are any problems, you can call for a human using the phone at the front desk, otherwise you can help yourself to the amenities and make use of the facilities, which include…

▼…a “manga corner” with approximately 1,000 books…

▼…and a “laundry corner”, both of which are on the same floor as the front desk.

This is where you can also pick up some vending machine drinks and meals, with “World Inflight Meals” and “Ma Ma” giving you a variety of options, although there are plenty of convenience stores and restaurants around the hotel so you won’t go hungry.

With all the novelty fun on the first floor, we were curious to see how far the weirdness extended to the rest of the hotel. However, when we stepped out of the elevator, the hallway looked spick-and-span, with nothing striking us as out-of-the-ordinary.

▼ So…what about inside?

▼ No robot weirdness here either!

Granted, we’d booked the “Standard Semi-double” and not one of the hotel’s themed rooms, which, at the time we visited, were produced in collaboration with some big names, such as Japanese regional airline Airdo and popular snack brand Choco Ball.

▼ We liked the subdued look of the room, complete with a view of Mt Fuji on the wall, which made it more conducive for sleep.

It was nice to leave the weirdness behind in the lobby, and the room had everything we needed for a relaxing stay, including a TV, tea and coffee, and a bathroom stocked with towels and amenities.

With free Wi-Fi and power outlets at the desk and bed, the room had been designed for comfort. The high-resilience mattress on the bed also provided outstanding levels of relaxation, giving us a fantastic night’s sleep.

Check-in is from 3:00 p.m. to midnight while check-out is 11:00 a.m., so we didn’t have to rush out early in the morning, giving us plenty of time to make our way back to the front desk.

▼ As expected, the robot staff were still on their feet, working long hours as usual.

To check out, simply insert your room key into the terminal…

…and dino springs to life again, saying: “Thank you for using our service. We look forward to seeing you again.”

▼ We look forward to seeing you again, too, robot dinosaur.

The deep bow from the dinosaur was incredibly impressive, giving us a sense of comfort as we made our way out into the bright sunshine of the day.

Though we’d booked a stay without meals this time, the hotel has a luxurious breakfast buffet, as well as a foreign currency exchange machine and free coin lockers, making it a great place to stay when using Haneda Airport.

▼ The highlight for us, though, was our interaction with the robot dinosaur.

So next time you’re looking for a unique place to stay in Japan, be sure to keep Henn na Hotel in mind. The robot staff will be ready to greet you when you arrive and see you off when you leave, and depending on which location you stay at, you might find yourself coming face-to-face with anime girl holograms or samurai and ninja warriors.

Hotel information
Henn na Hotel Tokyo Haneda / 変なホテル東京 羽田
Address: Tokyo-to, Ota-ku, Higashikojidani 2-11-18
東京都大田区東糀谷2-11-18
Website

Source, images: Press release
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