5 Tech-Savvy Hotels We’d Love To Visit
The tech-savvy hotel phenomenon has been driving changes in the hospitality industry for longer than you may think.
In 1894, New York’s Netherland Hotel became the first hotel to have a telephone in every room. It also boasted the use of the latest technology – the innovative, new electric lighting.
Hospitality’s love of technology has not dulled in the intervening 122 years and many hotels offer advanced gadgetry in their quest to attract business. Many consumers are not just looking for a typical accommodation – they’re seeking an experience.
Here are five hotels that are currently voted among the top tech-savvy hotels in the world.
Hotel 1000 – Seattle
The Hotel 1000 in Seattle has been voted one of the most high-tech hotels in the Pacific Northwest, keeping guests connected via ultrafast broadband. Walk through the front door and you’ll be greeted by a Microsoft Surface tablet that acts as a virtual concierge.In the room, a large LCD HDTV doubles as a digital art gallery. The minibar automatically notifies the front desk when it needs restocking. A media hub charges multiple devices and allows you to adjust room temperature, art on the TV and music via your phone. To prevent unwanted interruptions from hotel staff, the electronic doorbell scans the room with infrared sensors to detect if it’s occupied.
For relaxation, Hotel 1000 has a realistic virtual golf course, with infrared tracking to give real-time feedback on the spin, trajectory and velocity of the ball. You can choose 50 golf courses from around the world and you don’t even have to be very good!
NH Collection Eurobuilding – Madrid
In Madrid, the NH Collection Eurobuilding’s ‘Living Lab’ bedrooms introduce you to a level of technology rarely seen in a hotel.A tablet can connect you visually to the front desk to order room service or make other requests. The rooms have inductive charging built into the furniture, saying goodbye to untidy cables.The 48-inch 4K TV has one of the most advanced screen resolutions available.
It is linked to a Kinect from Xbox, not for playing games but to monitor your sleep patterns. If you need to get up in the middle of the night there is no need for the room lights, as dimmed lights under the bed and on the bathroom floor are automatically turned on by sensors that detect movement. There is a clear glass divider to separate the bathroom from the bedroom, which you can make opaque at the touch of a button.
Peninsula Hotel – Tokyo
The Peninsula Hotel has a reputation for being ‘the’ high-tech hotel of Tokyo. Unlike many hotels that turn solely to technology for guest appeal, the Peninsula also provides luxurious comfort.The hotel differentiates itself in the small but important area of entertainment facilities. All rooms have a 42-inch television with DVD player, smartcard reader and surround sound. The master remote gives you control over all devices, plus blackout curtains and lights. One innovation that stands out is the ability to change the input language. Change one device and all others follow, even the coffee maker.
Your smartphone can be linked to the room phone so that calls can follow you and if the phone does ring, the television automatically mutes.Technology is not restricted to adults at The Peninsula Hotel. An interactive game is available for accompanied children to investigate electronic clues hidden around the hotel in search of Pokemon characters.
Eccleston Hotel – London
The Eccleston Hotel is a Grade II listed building dating from 1835, and from the outside might not appear to warrant the reputation as one of Europe’s most high-tech hotels. Once inside, you soon realise that this is a perfect amalgam of technology and old world opulence. Every room has its own iPad2, enabling you to order room service or control almost every aspect of the room, including your wake up experience. You can program a soundtrack to wake you, your preferred lighting level, room temperature and even the time when the curtains open.
Here you’ll sleep on a handmade Hastens massage bed, with remote switches at the bedside that can adjust the intensity of the massage, raise the head end for watching TV and lower it for sleep. The marble bathrooms have heated floors and a shower wall of clear glass that turns opaque at the touch of a button. A steam-proof mirror has a built-in TV so you can watch the news while you brush your teeth. 3D glasses are provided for the 3D TV and 3D Blu-ray player, along with a library of movies.
Henn-na Hotel, Japan
Just outside Nagasaki in Japan, the Henn-na Hotel appears to be run entirely by robots. The name of the hotel means ‘strange’ in Japanese, which may give an inkling of what to expect.Reception is manned by robots created to look like young Japanese women, which can speak several languages while making the appropriate hand gestures. For some reason, English-speaking guests are directed to a robotic dinosaur. Other robots act as porters, cleaners and cloakroom staff.
Access to the rooms is via facial recognition. Once inside, a radiation panel detects your body heat and adjusts the room temperature. Each room has a small ‘concierge’ robot named Tuly, which replaces old-fashioned devices like light switches. If you want the temperature changed, curtains pulled, the lights to come on or even ask what the weather will be, just ask Tuly who will answer in your language. A smart tablet is also provided if you would rather control things yourself.
Sources
Jetsetter / Yahoo / T3 / Daily Mail / Telegraph
