Checking Into the Future: 4 Ways Hotels Are Innovating

The latest technology, fresh ideas and evolving guest expectations are shaping the new breed of hotels.

A hotel used to be a place simply to rest your head after a long day sightseeing. But now they offer a reason to travel – the best hotels are a destination in themselves – which means our expectations of what they offer continue to grow, especially in a post-COVID landscape. It’s no longer about thread counts and quality room service (they’re a given). We’re looking for hotels that are less homogenous and more representative of the neighbourhoods around them. And we want our experiences to be customised. As futurist Michelle Newton, head of cultural forecasting at Fiftyfive5, points out, a new value paradigm is underway. “A sociocultural reorganisation is taking place, as evidenced by ‘the greats’: the great resignation, the great frustration, the great reset. We expect wellbeing, particularly mental wellbeing, to be incorporated in our travel. People want to feel intense emotion.” All of this is pushing the travel and hospitality industries forward, making hotels more innovative, exciting and appealing places to stay, now and in the future.

Robo porters

4 Ways Future-facing Hotels Are Changing How We Travel

Ever since Silicon Valley’s Aloft hotel and Nagasaki’s famous Henn-na Hotel pioneered the first robotic workforce in 2014 and 2015, respectively, things have been surprisingly quiet on the hospitality robotics front. That was until labour shortages and new technologies led to fresh opportunities. Cute, friendly and fast (and requiring no gratuities), robots are being enlisted to perform a range of guest-facing duties, from delivering robo-warmed towels to in-room midnight snack services.

The AC Hotel by Marriott in Escazú, Costa Rica, is one of many stays across Central and South America that has new robotic hires. Its mechanical trio – KettyBot, CC1 and Flashbot – each have specific roles that take the load off the human guest services team.

KettyBot has the ability to recognise faces, perform waiting duties, function as a host and guide a multilingual tour. CC1 roams the hotel, cleaning up to 1000 square metres per hour. Flashbot’s cargo hold and UV sterilisation system can make swift trips to guests’ rooms.

Assistive robots are already helping to give many people greater independence in other areas of their lives. In a hotel setting this could mean acting as in-room mobility aids, translating foreign languages, checking an area for obstacles and monitoring environmental noise, temperature and light for guests with sensory needs. They can also offer real-time captioning services, providing information to vision-impaired guests about their room, and even reduce the loneliness some people feel during travel. Best of all, they won’t judge if they catch you in a bathrobe.

Sleep tourism

According to a recent global study by Philips, only 53 per cent of people feel that they have a good understanding of what factors hinder a good night’s sleep. Most of us are aware of the negative impacts that inadequate shut-eye has on our mood, cognitive and physical health and lifespan. For this reason many hotels are now offering “sleep tourism” programs – a wellness-centred movement that assists guests to achieve high-quality REM and improve their sleep hygiene.

At The Cadogan in London, hypnotherapists and sleep expert-guided meditations are now part of the in-room experience, alongside weighted blankets, aromatherapy and bedtime tea. At Six Senses properties there are sleep therapists on call, for guests to consult in the same way they might a personal trainer. For its one-bedroom Sleep Suites, Park Hyatt New York has made use of advanced AI and multi-sensory smart-bed technology. Bryte Balance beds play soothing audio and actively control temperature, relieve pressure points and shift their contours throughout the night to lull guests away from the beeping horns and flashing lights of the city below.

Spirited away

“We’ve never been more unhealthy and more obsessed with quantifying it,” says Fiftyfive5’s Michelle Newton. She worked on a recent Australia Pulse survey, which found that 25 per cent of respondents are not content with their wellbeing. “We are one of the most burnt-out and anxious cultures. The antidote to that is a combination of inner discovery and experience in travel.”

Tapping into alternative therapies, traditional medicines and groundbreaking technology, wellness in hotel spas is undergoing a complete overhaul. Considering the World Health Organisation estimates that about 3.8 per cent of the global population experience depression, we can soon expect more resorts and hotels to offer mental wellness services.

House of Rituals in Amsterdam is the first hotel in the world to create a “mind oasis” in its spa, where treatments blend ancient techniques, such as breathwork, sound therapy and meditation – with technology that includes brainwave therapies and devices that stimulate the effect of zero gravity. Speaking to the interest in longevity, biohacking, preventative medicine and the quantifiable self, Adler Spa Resort in the Dolomites, Italy, features genetic and DNA testing for its guests.

The tests examine a broad range of health metrics, such as metabolic, bone health, cardiovascular, inflammatory, ageing and weight control. Guests can then work with doctors and other experts to design a treatment plan.

AI curation

“Australians already recognise the growing prevalence of artificial intelligence,” says Newton. “Consumers don’t live in a vacuum so the more personalised our online lives become, the more we expect that to carry over to all touch points in our lives.”

It’s still early days but the coming era of customer-facing AI in hotels will likely combine the classic loyalty program with an understanding and anticipation of each guest’s needs – such as an AI enabled Les Clefs d’Or concierge. It might be an “AI booking”, which has prior knowledge of your favourite art, musical tastes, theatre productions and cuisines, as well as your itinerary, and can suggest personalised and timely activities during your stay.

Early versions are already emerging. The Marriott Bonvoy app now has a feature where guests can chat with a concierge about their preferences and make specific service requests ahead of their arrival. “AI is an excellent enabler for hyper-personalisation and always-on service models,” says Newton, pointing out that this innovation’s success hinges on data privacy, comfort levels and customer experience. “Democratising the concierge will also enable accessibility for people previously unable to afford the services, so AI can be seen as an equaliser.”