THE challenge for the hotel of the future is to supply the technology without baffling the guests. Nobody will want their room stuffed with so many gadgets and electronics that they will need a 15-minute lecture before they can close the curtains and switch on the TV.
Business travellers want to operate at full efficiency away from the office and to be able to keep in close contact with their head offices, but they also want an easy and comfortable stay.
The Edwardian era is the inspiration for some hotels. They want to update what grand hotels of the past did supremely well.
Mark Selawry, Hilton vice president, management services, says that a century ago the concierge at the Ritz in Paris was renowned for being able to greet every guest by name. “The workforce is too transient for that to happen now, but technology allows us to do the same thing — to profile guests on a chain-wide basis,” he says.
“I can see our loyalty card doubling as a pass card and room key operated by radio frequency so the key opens the door without swiping it. Perhaps that same card would also enable guests to access the leisure facilities.”
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Selawry’s ideas are close to fruition. Transactions will be recorded on a database so that when a guest telephones or arrives at any Hilton, his preferences are known. If he likes dim lighting and Mozart, his room will be programmed to supply just that. If he likes tea and toast and a copy of The Times, they will be delivered.
The advent of the laptop and the Blackberry is already making business centres with banks of personal computers and fax machines seem passé.
Hilton is starting to introduce ”relaxation rooms”, divided into three zones, in hotels around the world. The relaxation zone with an oversized bed and home entertainment centre, faces away from the work zone, which has a large desk, comfortable chair and internet access. The bathroom zone features a hydro spa bath, powerful shower, second TV and natural daylight.
Joanna Wood, an interior designer, says hotels should adopt a commonsense approach to business and comfort. “An uncluttered desk is essential so that I can get my laptop sorted out in a few minutes,” she says.
“I want access to a phone and fax and to be able to get online quickly. Air-conditioning, silence and a comfortable bed are also important.
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“Business travellers also want good room service. If I’m about to dash out to a meeting, I don’t want to ring for a club sandwich and coffee to be told it will take an hour. I could bake the bread in that time.”
Wood’s hotel of the future will have improved lighting — soothing, dim lighting that can be instantly converted to a light that is bright enough to read every word of the small print on a contract. Bathrooms will be better lit so that women executives can confidently touch up their make-up rather than peering at a steamed-up mirror in the gloom.
“Lighting at the moment is moody to the point where it ceases to function,” she says.
Many top hotels agree that sophisticated lighting is vital. They believe that guests will also want to control their own environment, adjusting lighting, heating and air flow so that executives preparing to go to work can opt for the brightest light, while jet-lagged travellers desperate to go to sleep can arrange a blackout.
Holiday Inn asked Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, the TV personality and interior designer, to create the hotel bedroom of 50 years’ time.
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Llewelyn-Bowen’s vision included a fibre-optic-lit carpet, star lights that twinkle above the bed on the ceiling, textured glass walls that can be transformed with adjustable coloured lighting and the ability to create wall art from images of tropical beaches to famous monuments.