Hotels of the Future

In June 2007 the first YOtels were opened at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports, by Simon Woodroffe, the founder and chairman of the YO! company. The YOtel’s pods are slightly larger than typical capsule hotels but very small compared to a traditional hotel room. Each pod includes an en suite bathroom, a flat screen TV and Wi-Fi. This was a peek into the future of hotels and what was in store for both the industry and consumers, but now in 2012 what do the hotels of the future promise when not restricted by space-saving principles?

Underwater Hotels: Over the last few years the design world has seen a lot of proposals, blueprints and plans drawn up for underwater hotels. Leading the pack is Deep Ocean Technology (DOT) who the Daily Mail reported on earlier this year with their design for the Water Discus Hotel. The complex building will be half-submerged with twenty-one rooms offering underwater views of the exotic ocean life. Although the Maldive’s Rangali Islands resort is officially the first underwater hotel as it’s already, up, running and taking reservations for newlyweds that want to sleep with the fishes, literally.

Aero Hotels: Who needs space-saving principles when the sky’s the limit? Other than looking down at the oceans other investors, architects and entrepreneurs are looking up in the clouds as the new destination of our future hotels. Most proposals involve large-scale aircrafts that resemble blimps complete with rooms, restaurants and shops. But in 2009 the first sky-bound hotel was actually launched; the Hotelicoptor is a double deck Airbus A380 boasting the best in luxurious vacationing with fine dining and eighteen opulent rooms. In the pipe-line is also the Aircruise by UK company Seymourpowell who say their aero hotel of the future will be a giant, vertical airship carrying travellers in comfort, style and luxury, featuring penthouse apartments, bars and viewing decks.

Foldable Hotel Pods: Returning to the pod theme, which is a popular design convention for these blue-sky thinking hotels, but here it is portability that is the key advantage. These hotels can be located anywhere, including the best white sandy beaches with crystal clear waters that the world has to offer. Thorough research into the environmental impact that these pod hotels would have on the local area needs to be conducted but the fact that you could remove the eyesore as soon as the holiday’s over is a big benefit and many analysts predict that once the green credentials are established this idea will really take off.

The most likely location for most of these luxury hotels is Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, which are currently the world leaders in innovative architecture and developments in the travel and tourism industry. And of course, the price to stay in these science fiction-like accommodations is high enough to make your eyes bulge.   

To find out more about some of the best places in the world for a secluted and peaceful retreat download this free guide. 

Zac Colbert writes on numerous architectural and design related subjects, from luxury private jet charters to the best environmentally friendly offices around the world.