Whether it’s a weekend city break or a family holiday, the hotel always has to tick the right boxes. Comfy bed? Check. Clean linen? Check. A nice view? Check. An iPad to communicate with your butler? Erm…check?
Some of the most luxurious hotels in the world are embracing new technology, from touch screen walls to robots that look after your luggage. So here’s our pick of ten of the best hi-tech hotels from around the world.
10. Yotel, New York City, New York, USA
Yotel opened its first hotel outside of an aiport in Times Square, New York City in 2011 and boasts the world’s first luggage robot called the Yobot. The Yobot is situated in the hotel’s T-Tech by Tumi luggage lounge, so bags can be kept safe before check-in or after check-out. The hotel also features motorised moving beds to save space, a Technowall with TV and music services and super strength Wi-Fi.
9. Royal Mansour Hotel, Marrakech, Morocco
The Royal Mansour Hotel is a place where old meets new and decadence meets innovation. The hotel was created by Moroccan artisans and craftsman who used the art of carving, silk weaving, and mosaics to build the décor. But the tech features bring this hotel up to date, even giving it a futuristic feel with touch screen walls in each room that enables guests to control lighting and temperature levels, call your personal butler, or activate the ‘do not disturb’ sign for your suite.
8. The Weinmeister, Berlin, Germany
One of the main features of the rooms at the Weinmeister is that each suite comes with an Apple iMac rather than a TV. iPads are also available for hire during your stay and the hotel is proud of its cutting edge design features, such as graffiti art décor and lampshades inspired by airbags.
7. Hotel 1000, Seattle, Washington, USA
The Hotel 1000 in Seattle is perfect for those with a deadline to meet, as it has two separate 100MB fast lines of broadband and all international phone calls and Wi-Fi connections are free. Plus, each room in the hotel has a sensor that detects body heat to let the housekeeping staff know not to disturb you.
6. TheWit, Chicago, Illinois, USA
TheWit hotel in Chicago uses technology to make your stay as relaxing as possible. There are sensors in each room that automatically adjust the temperature according to the body heat in the room. Each room has an NEC VoiP phone with an LCD display that is able to show flight information, valet requests and wake up calls. The hotel also hums the faint sound of waterfalls during the day and crickets at night in public areas and hallways, giving the hotel a hi-tech zen feel.
5. The Peninsula Hotel, Tokyo, Japan
Each room in the hotel comes with an internet radio with 3,000 stations, mood lighting controls and wireless phones with Skype capability than can be used throughout the hotel. And for extra tech points, the rooms also feature a nail polish dryer for busy women on the go.
4. Upper House, Hong Kong
Every guest that checks in at the Upper House hotel gets an iPod touch for their stay, preloaded with music and games, as well as everything you need to stay in touch with hotel staff. The hotel also provides cars for its guests, Lexus RX450H hybrid models, which feature free and unlimited broadband access on the road.
3. Blow Up Hall 5050, Poland
This hotel boasts a number of hi-tech features, such as iPhones that work as room keys and LCD Bang & Olufsen TVs and iPhone docking stations in the rooms.
2. Four Seasons Hotel, Silicon Valley, California, USA
The Four Seasons takes pride in its tech features, with 100Mbps wired access over a steady fibre-optic line, which makes this location perfect for business trips. Guests are able to print boarding passes from their rooms and there’s a 5.6 inch LCD view finder in each room so you can see who is at the door before answering it.
1. The Plaza Hotel, New York City, New York, USA
The Plaza Hotel is second to none when it comes to luxury, and now it’s introducing technology to make guests’ stay even more relaxing. Each room contains an iPad which can be used to order room service, make restaurant reservations, communicate with a butler, make a spa appointment and print boarding passes.
5. The Peninsula Hotel, Tokyo, Japan
Each room in the hotel comes with an internet radio with 3,000 stations, mood lighting controls and wireless phones with Skype capability than can be used throughout the hotel. And for extra tech points, the rooms also feature a nail polish dryer for busy women on the go.
4. Upper House, Hong Kong
Every guest that checks in at the Upper House hotel gets an iPod touch for their stay, preloaded with music and games, as well as everything you need to stay in touch with hotel staff. The hotel also provides cars for its guests, Lexus RX450H hybrid models, which feature free and unlimited broadband access on the road.
3. Blow Up Hall 5050, Poland
This hotel boasts a number of hi-tech features, such as iPhones that work as room keys and LCD Bang & Olufsen TVs and iPhone docking stations in the rooms.
2. Four Seasons Hotel, Silicon Valley, California, USA
The Four Seasons takes pride in its tech features, with 100Mbps wired access over a steady fibre-optic line, which makes this location perfect for business trips. Guests are able to print boarding passes from their rooms and there’s a 5.6 inch LCD view finder in each room so you can see who is at the door before answering it.
1. The Plaza Hotel, New York City, New York, USA
The Plaza Hotel is second to none when it comes to luxury, and now it’s introducing technology to make guests’ stay even more relaxing. Each room contains an iPad which can be used to order room service, make restaurant reservations, communicate with a butler, make a spa appointment and print boarding passes.
