According to the latest 2022 Travel Trends Report by Cloudbeds, a frictionless guest experience is in demand with 58% of all customer interactions globally now digital, compared to 36% prior to the pandemic. Here’s a round-up of hotels and properties adopting a digital-first approach and using the latest in smart technology.
USA
Aloft Cupertino, California
Aloft Cupertino is a technology advanced hotel which is appropriately located about five blocks south of Apple Inc. ‘s headquarters. The property features a keyless-entry feature that enables smartphone-toting guests to skip the front-desk check-in process and use the phones as electronic room keys. Once registered, guests are notified when their room is ready, and that they’re checked in. At that point, the guests can go to their rooms, open the SPG app and hold the phone about two or three inches away from the 3-inch-by-2-inch faceplate on the hotel-room’s door lock. The phone, which uses Bluetooth low-energy technology to transmit information to the lock, will buzz, the lock light will turn green and the door will open. www.visitcalifornia.com
Hotel 1000, Seattle
Hotel 1000 is a luxurious Seattle property designed with comfort and convenience in mind. Rooms have been created with modern, technology-driven amenities including a freestanding bathtub, which uses a pedestal instead of taps and water comes from the ceiling, a touch screen phone to schedule wakeup calls, check flight status and order breakfast, and doors with infrared sensors which determine whether guests are inside so housekeepers don’t interrupt. The hotel also has a state-of-the-art golf simulator which features more than 50 courses from around the world including St Andrews in Scotland and Pebble Beach, California. visitseattle.org
Birch Road Expands to Denver (opening spring)
With venues in Seattle and Chicago, Birch Road is an advanced concept appearing in Denver this spring. Challenging the ideals of what the term ‘social club’ means, Birch Road is a women-owned, bring-your-own beer clubhouse where attendees can bring, store and sip their favourite spirits with old or new friends without the stress of fees, bartender interactions and an impending bill. The venue is accessed via a fingerprint scanner, and will be open daily to members 8am – 2pm. colorado.com
JAPAN
Henna na Hotel: Nagasaki, Japan
Japan has always been a country that’s looked to the future with its technological advances, so it’s no surprise that their hotel offering boasts some of the most fascinating tech innovations in the world. Certified by Guinness World Records as the first hotel with working robots, ‘Henna na Hotel’ – which translates roughly as ‘Strange’ or ‘Weird’ hotel – offers an incredibly unique experience. Three humanoid robots, known as ‘actroid,’ greet customers at reception, while elsewhere an industrial robot sorts luggage and other android-machines perform domestic duties, such as cleaning rooms and serving coffee. As well as humanoid robots, there is also a robotic dinosaur at reception who deals with English-speaking guests. www.visit-kyushu.com
The Peninsula Hotel: Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo is famous for its high tech and modern atmosphere. The most famous ‘high tech’ hotel in Tokyo is perhaps The Peninsula Hotel, which tops many global lists of world famous hotels for its integration of technology and modern amenities. The hotel offers bedside curtain controls, nail polish dryers, a 24 hour electronics service department, in-room Internet radio and ambiance controls. These high tech rooms are so connected that the television will mute when the phone rings. The rooms themselves are large and elegantly designed. They offer some of the best views of the city and look out on the Imperial Palace Gardens and Hibiya Park. www.japan.travel/en/uk
