'Strange' hotel, run by robots, opens near Tokyo; more to come

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 the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture. The name is a play on a Japanese word meaning strange. 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 held the same day.