Inside Japan's robot hotel.

• Position: THE BIG PICTURE - Brief article

The day when a robot will compete for your job may be closer than you think: The world's first hotel staffed almost entirely by robots just opened in Japan. The Henn-na Hotel ("strange hotel" in Japanese) has two robot receptionists--one speaks English, the other Japanese--as well as a porter robot that escorts guests to their rooms; and robotic room attendants that switch lights on and off.

Located inside a theme park near Nagasaki, the hotel has 72 rooms starting at about $80 a night-a good deal made possible by the robot staff, which cut labor costs by 70 percent, according to the hotel director. That's one reason high-tech robots...