Henn-na Hotel robot "revolution" fails as half are laid off

What happened

Henn-na Hotel opened in 2015 with the promise of revolutionising hospitality through automation. 

However, its robots failed at basic tasks: in-room assistants like "Churi" could not answer simple questions and frequently interrupted or disturbed guests, sometimes mistaking snoring for commands. 

Reception robots, including dinosaur-themed check-in bots, were unable to perform essential functions such as passport copying. Luggage robots struggled with navigation, could only access a fraction of rooms, and often became stuck in hallways. 

Many robots simply annoyed guests or required human intervention, negating their intended labor-saving purpose. 

As a result, the hotel laid off more than half of its robots and reverted to more traditional, human-provided services.

Why it happened

The robots' technological limitations were the primary cause. Many were quickly outpaced by consumer AI assistants like Alexa and Siri, rendering them obsolete.

Others lacked the robustness or capability to handle real-world hotel operations, leading to frequent breakdowns, inefficiency, and increased workload for human staff. 

In addition, the hotel's drive to automate as much as possible overlooked practical needs and customer experience, resulting in widespread dissatisfaction.