TECHNOLOGY
The
NEXT
BIG
THE HOTEL OF TOMORROW PROJECT VISUALIZES THE FUTURE OF HOSPITALITY .
THINGS
By BARBARA BOHN , MANAGING EDITOR
The dramatic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic caused global travel to plummet , a new dependence on technology , unexpected free time — and many questions about the future . How and where will people work ? What will travel look like ? And how will hotels adapt ?
Chicago-based design and development consultancy Gettys Group aimed to answer some of those questions with the Hotel of Tomorrow , a think tank comprising 325 hotel industry professionals , including major brands and universities . Over the summer , 16 teams around the world studied health , technology , aesthetics and environmental aspects of hotel design and submitted 79 ideas ; those were tested with project participants on the basis of impact on satisfaction , willingness to pay for it and uniqueness of solution . After polling about 75,000 people for feedback , the group presented the five ideas that tested best .
The think tank approach looked beyond shortterm challenges to bigger opportunities — consolidating initial research on emerging technologies , then framing the trends through a hospitality lens .
NO SHORT-TERM SOLUTIONS If some of the results look familiar , it ’ s because the focus was on technology that is “ achievable and maybe being utilized in some other industries , in other verticals , or even in an experimentation stage ,” says Ron Swidler , Gettys ’ chief innovation officer . “ What we are looking at were fundamental trends that were changing what guests expect from brands , not just hospitality but from brands overall .”
THE TOP FIVE
Optimized sleep platform . Engineered fabrics control bed temperature and act as filters to improve air quality . Apps permit guests to control lighting , temperature , humidity , background noise and mattress firmness , and to access exercise and meditation programs .
Bringing the outdoors in . Focusing on lighting , air quality , sound and scents , this approach uses installations of plant material , nature-driven video imagery and other ambient features to create a calming environment that encourages creativity and productivity .
Make room for robots : “ I fell in love with the robot idea ,” Swidler says . “ The part that I found most appealing was the subcontext for the idea , which was that there can be a communication between robots — that in the future , robots will have more specialized responsibilities but be able to communicate effectively with one another and with people in multiple languages .” More practically , it might be inefficient to have a server bring drinks from the bar to a prefunction area , but a robot , as illustrated above , could take beverage orders to wherever guests happen to be in the hotel .
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