The hotels offering touch of luxury for the smartphone generation
Apps that let you check in with your phone, open the door with a smartwatch, and control your room’s music, lighting and air conditioning are the new definition of luxury for the tech age
Luxury hotels have always had something extra, perhaps a great view, more space and a beautiful bathroom. Now a new class of hotel is emerging to cater for a generation that is hooked on technology, and on smartphones in particular.
In some hotels guests can check in with their phone, open the door with a smartwatch, and be streaming internet radio around the room in seconds. It’s even possible to turn down the air conditioning using an app on the in-room iPad before browsing the travel guides sent to your phone by the hotel’s concierge.
Among hoteliers who are adapting to the latest generation of in-room technology is Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, which own the Peninsula hotels in 10 cities including Hong Kong, Beijing and Paris.
“There is a huge competitive advantage to spending money on technology,” says Ingvar Herland, its group general manager for research and technology, who heads up a group of 20 engineers that work on bringing the latest gadgets and in-room technology to its hotels.
At the Peninsula Tokyo, guests entering the hotel, situated in the city’s plush Marunouchi district, are greeted by The Void, a bizarre collection of 24 “light cones” made from 1,313 crystal LED bulbs that stretch upwards in darkness to the hotel’s 24th floor.
