Hotel Rooms of the Future

People of a certain age might remember a time when Disney promised us a future filled with flying cars and tourism to Mars. While Disney’s Imagineers might have been a little too future forward, a study from the Institute for Global Futures in partnership with Hotels.com is taking a look at the hotel rooms of the future. And, yes, flying cars could well become a reality. As could robobutlers, neuro dreaming and paying with DNA mobile payments.

For the study, Hotels.com, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, partnered with renowned futurist Dr. James Canton of the Institute for Global Futures and asked him to gaze into his crystal ball to see what hotel tourism of the future will look like.

"Trends in technology, science, energy and entertainment will vastly change the hotel experience for travellers,” said Dr. Canton. “The emergence of a new travel design science, which is a combination of using big data, artificial intelligence and predicting travellers' dreams, will mean the whole travel experience will change. The future of travel is really exciting, as we'll see predictive travel analytics anticipating what consumers want from their experience before booking. The hotel booking itself will be helped along by artificial intelligence software agents, using data mining and intuitive computing. The new travel design science will help create highly personalized in-stay experiences. And it doesn't end when you check-out because new analytics will also ensure lifelong travel fulfillment."

So just what can you expect when booking into your hotel in 2060:

RoboButlers—if you’re a fan of the Fallout video game series, you might be imagining a Mr. Handy-type creature helping you check in. But with the Robobutlers of the future, you’ll even have the ability to program them to cater to your specific needs before you ever leave home. Forget therapy dogs, these future-gen robots can even provide companionship if you’re feeling a little homesick. They’ll also welcome you in the language of your choice, offer food service selections, clean your room and provide suggestions on what to visit while you’re in town.

3D Makers in every hotel room – Remember when the crew of the Enterprise could order anything they wanted to eat and the ship would “replicate” that food item for them? With the emergence of 3D printers, replication could become commonplace when travelling. Forget your toothbrush? Have the replicator create one for you. And who needs luggage when the in-room machine can design and create your shoes, your clothes and even your wearable electronics.

Morphing hotels made-to-order – As the 3D printer evolves, it only goes to reason that the hotel room of the future will also be able to morph from one configuration to another, practically with the press of a button. Hotels will use crowdsourced information and cutting-edge nanotechnology to self-assemble environments, buildings and even entire worlds. This technology could be available within the next 20 years says, Dr. Canton.

Neuro-Dreaming – Talk about mind meld! When you check into the hotel room of the future, be sure to meet with the Dream Butler. That’s because future rooms should be able to provide guests access to neurotechnology so they can pre-program their dreams. Choose a 'dream theme' to guide your dreams, which such topics as relaxation, education, romantic adventures or space exploration. With all the amazing dreams you’re sure to be having, let’s hope late check-out is also on the menu.

Wellness and longevity hotel spas – Hot stone massages are so 2015. The hotel spa of the future will plan treatments based upon your DNA analysis. Personalized treatment plans will help predict your future health risks, and will design a course of health enhancements based upon for longevity. The technology will tap into a combination of genetic medical treatments, mind refreshing drugs, brain fitness and disease prevention.

Gourmet genomics in hotel restaurants – Once you’re done at the spa, you can transfer your DNA profile to the hotel restaurant, which will create a complete meal based on your palate and your DNA analysis, which is optimized for your health. Top chefs will now be charged with creating designer delicacies that taste amazing but that won’t ruin your diet.

Airport transfer of the future – Finally, high-speed travel should begin to make an appearance by 2065. Future airport transportation could include self-driving pods and RoboFlying cars, which will help avoid traffic as you head to your hotel. Larger infrastructure developments could even include Hyper Loop supersonic air travel that covers hundreds of kilometres in just seconds.

DNA mobile payments—Who needs an app to pay for your hotel room, when you have DNA? DNA will increasingly be used to confirm identity in travel bookings and as such it will also be used to make online payments. When you check into your hotel, a simple fingerprint will be all you need to get you checked in and to pay for the room when you check out.

EcoHotels on the next level – Hanging up your towel to save the environment will be a thing of the past when the hotels of the future take sustainability to an all new level. A Renewable Energy Grid will provide safe, clean energy that hotels can buy and sell to keep their carbon footprint neutral. The new EcoHotels will also excel in keeping guests and employees socially aware and will provide programs and products that create positive social impact in the community.

Immersive-themed hotels – Bored? Call up Mr. Handy, who can help you decide on a theme world for you to play in. Future hotels will offer interactive live event locations, where you can play in your own virtual world. Maybe you’re looking for a Game of Thrones live event, or you want to be transported back to a Roman-era environment complete with chariot races. These themed worlds will feature virtual reality, costumes and customized androids and story lines.