MOBILE in-room work pods, personal robotic butlers, voice-activated smart rooms where curtains are opened and lights turned down on command, air-permeable windows where fresh outdoor air is filtered through a smart window, a room that can morph into different configurations and environments at the touch of a button and virtual video conferencing so you can enjoy dinner with family and friends in other locations from the comfort of your hotel room. Welcome to your room at tomorrow’s inn, at least that’s what those involved in the Hotel of Tomorrow (HOT) project, a US-based group of experts envisioning the future of hotels, say.
In its first year, the HOT project built to prototype stage several design concepts including a bathroom that doubled as a day spa with a space-age shower/tub/steam room and automatic body-drying system; a “living wall”, creating sustainable and renewable in-room energy; and mobile, wireless self-contained in-room work pods that fold up when not in use.
But it seems that our hotel rooms of the future will not just be about bells and high-tech whistles. Sustainability and eco-sensitivity will be one of the most important features of future hotel design as climate change and sustainability will be dominant in 25 years, even more so than today.
