An exoskeleton punched through to form internal skybridges as the triangular trusswork wrapped around the building’s exterior gets tangled up in spiderwebs deep within the resulting, cave-like hollows. No, it’s not a prop in a children’s horror story or a postmodern Charlotte’s Web, but a new hotel and casino proposed by architect Zaha Hadid for the city of Macau. [designboom]
This serpent-like hotel, coiled around the glacial outcroppings of Norway’s gorgeous Lofoten Islands north of the Arctic Circle, has been proposed by the architecture firm Snøhetta. The building’s central loop will enclose a courtyard, offering a "spectacular view and the feeling of being ‘in the middle’ of the elements," according to the architects. [Dezeen]
There is no better way to get a nerd’s money than to decorate a hotel with their favorite toys. Do this and they’ll line up and drop their money in your account as if their mint, on-card action figures depended on it.
The Asahikawa Grand Hotel knows how to lure said nerds out of their basement dwellings… with a limited time only Transformers themed room.
Basically you will be sleeping under a Transformers comforter and playing with Autobots and Decepticons. So, not much different from home really. You just won’t have to put up with your mother yelling for you to wake up at 1 P.M.
The hotel actually teamed up with Takara Tomy to make the room possible. It has Transformers magic everywhere. Guests even get gifts that go with the Transformers theme. Pretty sweet!
If you happen to find yourself in Hokkaido, Japan, you can rent the room until April 25th for roughly $90(USD) per night.
Hotel chain Starwood Hotels and Resorts plans to start using tech as an alternative to traditional plastic hotel key cards. The hotel will allow guests to unlock their door to the room they are staying in with a smartphone.
The hotel chain has a location in NYC called Aloft Harlem and one in California called Aloft Cupertino. Both those locations will be using lock tech from Assa Abloy and the program will start in about 60 days. Guests at these hotels will be able to check in using smartphones via the Starwood mobile app. They will then get a text message with the room number and a virtual key allowing them to bypass the front desk.
The technology uses Bluetooth to open the door and works on any iPhone 4S or higher and Android 4.3 or higher devices. It’s unlikely that the program will be rolled out broadly any time soon because of the costs involved in changing lock systems.
Soon enough you’ll be able to walk into a hotel, straight past the front desk and have your door open automatically for you without any extra effort required, thanks to a new pilot project by Starwood Hotels (via WSJ). Two hotels are debuting keyless entry via smartphones that have a companion app installed and can communicate via Bluetooth 4.0, one in Harlem and one in Cupertino, with both set to go live before the end of the first quarter of this year.
Notably, the tech doesn’t use NFC, but rather opts for low-energy Bluetooth, which is available on Apple’s latest iPhone models as well as on most contemporary high-end Android smartphones. The implementation by Starwood would deploy virtual keys via their smartphone app to hotel guests, which would allow the guests to then open their hotel room door simply by tapping or gesturing with their device once they arrive.
Starwood is bullish on the potential of the tech: CEO Frits van Paasschen told the WSJ that it believes this will be the “new standard” for hotel access, once it gets past the novelty stage. Of course, it has some potential limitations, like how to easily provision multiple keys for guests and their kids, as well as making sure that the tech is secure enough that patrons are comfortable with it. Plus, unforeseen parts of the check-in experience like arriving hours early are things often dealt with on the fly by the people manning the desk, so there will probably be a learning curve during the pilot process where this stuff is worked out.
Fixing check-ins is a priority for hotels because the check-in process, especially during times when a hotel is busy, causes a bottleneck, and is responsible for unpleasant experiences for both employees and customers. Introducing self check-ins and virtual keys alleviates those bottlenecks, and in the short-term at least, won’t replace the traditional check-in methods altogether. There’s the possibility that the whole thing becomes automated down the road (I’d argue inevitably, too) but for now it would work in tandem with real human staff.
Starwood wants to roll the system out at all of its W and Aloft locations by the end of 2015, so it’ll be interesting to see how this pilot goes. If any hotel chain can make it work, it’s Starwood, with its trendy, tech-loving demographic appeal, but it’s still very early days for this kind of tech. Others like Nymi envision a time when this kind of automatic entry is also tied to your heart rate, but first we’ll see if people like the idea of their phones giving them instant access to a clean bed and warm room after a day of travel. As with most new tech undertakings, it’ll probably depend entirely on how frustration free the experience is from the start.
You may heard of Switzerland’s Giger Bar. They were put together by H.R. Giger, the artist best known for the incredible, but creepy designs for Ridley Scott’s Alien flicks. The bars mimic the style of those movies, but with alcohol. Too bad we don’t have something similar in the U.S. However, a Giger Bar could be coming our way.
Graphic designer Andy Davies wants to open a sci-fi themed hotel called… The Sci-Fi Hotel. It would combine a variety of classic sci-fi designs, but he wants a bar in it too of course. The property is being developed with the full permission and partnership of H.R. Giger, so it should be awesome.
As of now there is no definitive location that they have in mind, but apparently Seattle is near the top of the list, as well as New York, Chicago, San Francisco and New Orleans. Anywhere is good. Just build one here already!
I guess that if you’re not afraid of water, then underwater hotels can make for some fabulous sights. This new one will provide you with an amazing stay, thanks to being submerged more than 13 feet below the surface of the ocean.
The Manta Resort is an all-inclusive hotel room that is partially submerged. It has a rooftop terrace for basking in the sun and to stargaze at night, a landing deck at sea level that comes complete with a lounge and restroom, and an underwater hotel room surrounded by glass panes, allowing for a 360-degree view of the marine panorama.
From inside their room, guests can view marine life and coral reefs. Fish are supposed to sleep beside it, and there are spotlights to attract even more creatures.
Staying at the Manta Resort will cost you a pricey $1,500(USD) a night, but its a truly unique experience for the price.
When you go to a hotel, apart from its convenience, facilities and pricing, what is the one thing (or perhaps you can think of a couple more) that would help set it apart from the rest? Obviously, the kind of service which you receive would play a very large role here. The thing is, what if robots were the ones serving you? This is what a Space Capsule hotel in China is doing at the moment, having robots on their payroll. Fret not, however, as there will still be normal humans hanging around to help you out just in case you need some help.
For instance, there is a robot doorman, while there is also a waiter robot that will serve you your drinks after you have ordered from a touchscreen tablet. The front desk, however, will have an actual human stationed there – for obvious reasons, too. What do you think of a hotel that employs robots as part of their service to their customers? I personally think that places like the Ritz, the Hilton or Mandarin Oriental and other 5 star establishments would do well to stick with humans as the go-between with their guests. One good thing about robots though, there is absolutely no need to tip them.
Companies are inclined to give freebies and complimentary services to people who have a huge following on social networks. As a marketing move, it makes perfect sense. The odds of these people tweeting and talking about the event is high, and the more people they get to share it with, the better, right?
Jumping on this bandwagon is the 1888 Hotel located in Sydney, Australia. They’re hosting a giveaway for Instagram users who have 10,000 or more followers, so if you’ve already passed that mark, then lucky you.
All you have to do is follow them on Instagram (their handle is @8hotels) and send an email to media[at]8hotels.com.
But first things first, what’s the 1888 Hotel? Staying true to the promo they’re hosting, it’s a five-star luxury hotel with an Instagram theme. Just think of the Twitter hotel, only this one is optimized for Instagram users instead, beginning with the selfie wall where guests are encouraged to take a selfie after checking in. The hotel offers beautiful views on every floor and luxurious facilities that are, as they claim, “Instagram-worthy.”
Naturally, you can find more pics of the 1888 Hotel on Instagram, under #1888hotel.
Free Spirit Spheres is unlike your typical hotel. Instead of housing rooms in buildings, they’re offering guests accommodations in spherical treehouses. They look pretty basic on the outside, but don’t let its exteriors fool you because the rooms are quite pleasant on the inside.
Located on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, a stay at the Free Spirit Spheres starts around $145 Canadian (~$140 USD) a night. Each floating orb is constructed from wood and fiberglass, and cost upwards of $150,000(USD) to construct.
You might want to skip this place if you’re afraid of heights, since you’ll be sleeping 10 to 15 feet above the ground if you choose to stay at Free Spirit Spheres. But if you’re up for an adventure, then why not?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
When you go to a hotel, apart from its convenience, facilities and pricing, what is the one thing (or perhaps you can think of a couple more) that would help set it apart from the rest? Obviously, the kind of service which you receive would play a very large role here. The thing is, what if robots were the ones serving you? This is what a Space Capsule hotel in China is doing at the moment, having robots on their payroll. Fret not, however, as there will still be normal humans hanging around to help you out just in case you need some help.
