Moon-walking getaways, 3d-printed dinners, fast-food nutrient pills, hyper-personalized rooms and gyms that can virtually transport guests anywhere, hotels at the top of mountains, holographic personal assistance and more. These are some of the trends of the next century in the hotel industry.
Who would have predicted a hundred years ago that hotels would have air conditioning, in-room televisions, and a digital reservation system? Did anyone imagine in the 18th century that guests could unlock their room doors, or control the heating and lighting with a smartphone?
One of the most impressive predictions was brought by futurologist Gerd Leonhard, who published a report titled ‘Hilton 100, checking into 2119’.
The Surprising World of 2119
This report imagines a world where intergalactic getaways will be common and in which some hotels will have migrated to other planets. Other hotels will be located high in the mountains to keep themselves safe from rising sea levels due to climate change.
Human life on Mars, hiking on the Moon, and trips to distant floating islands in the sea will be an everyday thing, and hotels will adapt to these new environments.
At that time, the sophistication of technological advances coupled with the modification of environmental conditions will have led to the existence of hotels located in the midst of poorly explored, previously uninhabitable deserts, offering places of beauty, recreation, and novelty to the traveler, according to the report.
It predicts that technology, including Internet connection of all types of devices and machines in our daily life, will allow the hotels of the future to be personalized and that each of its spaces, facilities, and furniture be updated continuously to meet the needs of an individual, instantly.
Each accessory and equipment will update its design immediately to respond to the needs and preferences of each individual, allowing a hammock to be transformed into a comfortable mattress, or that the room becomes a relaxation area to take a bath at the ideal temperature.
The report also mentions that thanks to electronic microchips implanted under the skin, guests can wirelessly control the settings and configuration of the services that surround them, from temperature and lighting to entertainment in their room.
It’s predicted that in a world full of artificial intelligence, human contact and personal touch will be more decisive and sought after than ever by guests and that, at the same time, technology will free time for hotel staff to focus on helping guests connect with each other.
Time Offline Will Be a New Luxury
The report also predicts that environmental sustainability will be integrated into everything related to the design of a hotel, from domes to weather monitoring systems that track adverse conditions ahead of time, to buildings constructed with plastic and recycled waste recovered from the oceans.
In 2119, hotels are expected to manage, just like a town hall, the local resources found in the geographical areas they serve, to help preserve the culture and heritage of these places and provide services, such as operating insect farms or vertical hydroponic crops (in water, without soil), as food sources for the community.
Hotel menus will include, among its staple food, plant-based dishes and some surprising protein sources, such as beetle Bolognese, plankton pies, caterpillar skewers, or green velvet seaweed cupcake.
In addition, dinners and room service will include dishes with ingredients molded using 3D printers and personalized for each client, while ‘chefs’ will have access to data on physical traits and health status of each guest, in order to prepare meals based on their preferences, medical needs, and nutritional requirements.
The busy travelers in 2119 will be served nutritious fast-food pills with the combination of flavors they want.
Another innovation planned for the 22nd century will be gyms equipped with digital technologies capable of simulating different scenarios in a realistic and engaging way, allowing a guest to practice swimming in a pool, competing against a virtual sea turtle, or trying to climb a digital recreation of the face of Mount Everest.
In addition, the movement of the human body during exercises will produce energy that will be harvested by different systems and converted into power, contributing to supply the establishment's electrical consumption, thus reducing its environmental impact.
And on top of that, guests may even get rewards based on the training goals they achieve.
Those using these futuristic fitness rooms will be able to track their workouts and resume where they left them last time since they will be digitally registered. They will also have holographic personal trainers, present through three-dimensional images in motion that can interact and talk with guests.
Guests will create the physical experience they want, without having their activities being restricted by space or equipment. For example, they can take a walk through the jungle or practice yoga on an iceberg thanks to the virtual reality devices controlled by thought, which will transport them, instantly, to the place they want, whether on Earth or another planet.
Lastly, the report predicts that in the future “time offline”, without being connected to a digital network or a communication system, will be a new luxury. Guests will look for more moments of tech-free time and one of the challenges of the “hotel industry” will be to address human interaction in a world increasingly focused on technology.