The hotel of tomorrow: the keys to the future

Will the hotel industry of tomorrow resemble a Jules Verne-style inventory of space hotels, floating resorts and undersea vessels? In an increasingly urbanised world, it is amid the futuristic skylines of emerging metropolises - those of Asia and the Middle East - that we can expect to see it blossom. In the booming cities of Africa and South America too, where hotel groups are pinning their new hopes for growth. Indeed, with the growing demand from business travellers for hotels of international standing, and on the other hand the expectation of more economical establishments, surfing on the emergence of the local middle class, the prospects for development seem to know no bounds.

Even so, mature markets are not going on a diet. For example, the world leader IHG expects half of its future developments to take place on the American and European continents. The emergence of the new wave of hotels will also continue to be seen in the rapidly gentrifying districts of the Old World, where brands such as Mama Shelter in France and Room Mate in Spain have sprung up in recent years.

If the mid-1980s saw the birth of boutique hotels, with the success that we all know, the decade to come could see the spread of a more relaxed hotel industry. New players are already appearing, such as Okko in France, HTL in Scandinavia and Ruby Hotel in Austria. This approach, common to both independent hoteliers and the giants of the sector, is just as much in tune with the lifestyle of the geek on the go as it is with that of the modern business traveller. High-tech rooms and lively lobbies where guests can enjoy a snack or a drink at any time: whatever their range, hotels will continue their lifestyle transformation, with open spaces and arty touches, to offer guests the feeling of intensely living the city in which they are staying. At the same time, another trend is consolidating, that of "making yourself at home". The growing attractiveness of hotel residences with an updated look and the dazzling success of AirBnb, the private flat rental website, bear witness to an expectation of freedom on the part of customers that should have an impact on the 'classic' hotel industry.

If there's one other certainty about the future of the hotel industry, it's that it will be ultra-technological. In many ways, it already is. Expected at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport as well as in New York, the Dutch brand Citizen M has been targeting the mobile traveller since its inception in 2008, offering free WiFi, international calls at Skype rates and a MoodPad touchscreen in the room. The Nine Zero Hotel in Boston has introduced an iris recognition system for opening doors. At the Yotel in New York, a robot checks in luggage... Virtual concierges, touch screens where you can find all the information you need about the hotel or the city, have taken the place of the 'golden keys' in the lobbies of Courtyard by Marriott and, more recently, Novotel. Even the palaces, with their chic that dares to defy the times, are at the cutting edge in this field. The Peninsula in Hong Kong, for example, has installed a touch-sensitive tablet in its rooms so that guests can control all the home automation systems.

New technologies will help to reinvent hotel service. In a number of establishments, paperless check-in, with staff equipped with touch-screen tablets, is already sounding the death knell for reception desks, while at the same time enhancing the quality of our welcome. What's next? A whole range of practical services will be at the customer's fingertips, thanks to the ongoing development of applications for smartphones. These will make it possible, for example, to check in and receive a room key before arrival, to order a dish from room service from a taxi, to be notified that the room is ready, to close the room curtains, and even to interact during meetings and seminars. A multiplicity of uses that will make the hotel experience free and flexible. A vast programme.

Architectural competition

Boosted by the hydrocarbon sector, Baku has been gripped by a mild delusion of grandeur. After the inauguration of the Flame Towers, shaped like giant torches into which a Fairmont hotel has been built, Baku is awaiting the completion of the Crescent complex. At its centre, an artificial island supports a hotel that looks like a curved arch, a pierced disc.

Like Dubai in its day, most emerging cities such as the capital of Azerbaijan want to make their mark by combining their skylines with the future, a frenzy of ambitious developments in which the hotel industry of tomorrow will play a natural role.

The walls have their say

Tomorrow, for sure, the walls of the rooms will speak! They'll be able to wish guests a good day as soon as they wake up, and gently remind them of their appointments for the day. Conversely, it will also be possible to give them orders by voice recognition, such as dimming the lights or turning down the television.

Rooms in matrix mode

Earlier this year, Spanish architects Serrano Brothers presented their vision of the bedroom of the future, the ITH Room Xprience. Designed around solutions from Microsoft, Toshiba and Guardian Glass, the prototype is a veritable technological showroom. With touch-sensitive walls, interactive floors and mirrors, customers can change the look and feel of the room using a smartphone or simply their fingertips. The walls display a map of the metro, the day's diary, family photos to make you feel at home, and maps of the sky. For sweet dreams.

New places under the sea

Announced as imminent in the mid-2000s, the Hydropolis in Dubai and the Poseidon Undersea Resort in Fiji never saw the light of day. But Polish company Deep Ocean Technology has given hope to fans of the Silent World, who currently have only the Ithaa restaurant at the Conrad Rangali Island and the spa at the Huvafen Fushi hotel - both in the Maldives - to satisfy their underwater desires. Also in the Maldives, Ridgewood Hotels has placed an order for a Water Discus Hotel offering 21 rooms immersed 10 m below the surface of the water.

Sleep with your head in the stars

At the end of the 1960s, Barron Hilton had high hopes of seeing his brand established on the moon in his lifetime. That dream has obviously faded. Was it a publicity stunt or a space rapture? The Premier Inn brand took up the idea a few years ago. But even today, the first five-star resort on the shores of the Sea of Tranquility seems a long way off. But space transport specialists such as Bigelow Aerospaces and Orbital Technologies have cosmic hotel projects in the back of their minds.

And Richard Branson, interviewed at the annual conference of the very serious Institute of Directors, no longer ruled out this possibility, as a logical extension of Virgin Galactic's first flights.