Skip to content

Top Navigation

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Trip Inspiration
  • Plan Your Trip
  • World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises
  • Travel Tips
  • News
  • Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Explore

    Explore

    • World's Best

      The greatest islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by you. Read More Next
    • The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2020

      Whether you're traveling solo or planning a family vacation, here are the 50 best places to visit in 2020. Read More Next
    • Let's Go Together Podcast

      Start listening to T+L's brand new podcast, Let's Go Together! Hosted by Kellee Edwards. Read More Next
  • Trip Inspiration

    Trip Inspiration

    • Trip Ideas
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Spring Travel
    • Summer Travel
    • Fall Travel
    • Winter Travel
    • Solo Travel
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Luxury Travel
    • Beach Vacations
    • Adventure Travel
    • Road Trips
    • Family Travel
    • National Parks
    • Holiday Travel
    • Travel Photography
    • Photo of the Day
    • Culture and Design
  • Plan Your Trip

    Plan Your Trip

    • Travel Guides
    • Flight Deals
    • Travel Deals
    • Ways to Save
    • Hotels + Resorts
    • Attractions
    • Amusement Parks
    • Disney Vacations
    • Festivals + Events
    • Airlines + Airports
    • Buses + Trains
    • Ground Transportation
  • World's Best

    World's Best

    • Top Hotels
    • Top Cities
    • Top Islands
    • Domestic Airlines
    • International Airlines
    • Tours
    • Safaris
    • All World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises

    Cruises

    • Find A Cruise
    • Caribbean Cruises
    • River Cruises
    • European Cruises
    • All-Inclusive Cruises
    • Family Cruises
    • Alaskan Cruises
    • Disney Cruises
    • See All Cruise Vacations
  • Travel Tips

    Travel Tips

    • Travel Trends
    • Packing Tips
    • Points + Miles
    • Budgeting + Currency
    • Customs + Immigration
    • Responsible Travel
    • Travel Etiquette
    • Travel Warnings
    • Weather
    • Mobile Apps
    • See All Travel Tips
  • News

    News

    • Wellness
    • Celebrity Travel
    • Animals
    • Jobs
    • Offbeat
    • See All News
  • Food + Drink

    Food + Drink

    • Restaurants
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails + Spirits
    • Bars + Clubs
    • Celebrity Chefs
    • Cooking + Entertaining
    • Food Fairs + Festivals
    • World's Best Restaurants
    • See All Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories

    Travel Accessories

    • Travel Bags
    • Shoes
    • Travel Tech
    • Shopping
    • Style
    • Gift Guides
    • See All Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Hotels + Resorts
  3. 11 Amazing Things Found in the Hotel Room of the Future

11 Amazing Things Found in the Hotel Room of the Future

By Nikki Ekstein
May 28, 2015
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Courtesy of Starwood Hotels
Apple TVs, keyless entry, savvy social media teams: hospitality giant Starwood has long been at the cutting edge of hotel innovation. So when the company invited me to check out the new technology and design projects being tested at its global headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, I raced to the scene, notebook and camera in tow. Here's what I found—and what you could find too, eventually—in Starwood's hotel room of the future.
Start Slideshow

1 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Nest thermostats

Credit: Courtesy of Starwood Hotels

"Hotels were always better than your house," Starwood Global Brand Leader Brian McGuinness told me, "until people started doing great things to their houses and hotels needed to catch up." That's what kicked off the boutique hotel craze years ago, he says, and now, several years later, it's also what's kicking off the smart hotel craze. A prime example: Nest thermostats in guest rooms, the first of several connected home innovations that are sure to be installed across brands. What Starwood is trying to create, says McGuinness, is "an entirely hands-free hotel room experience."

1 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

RFID night lights

Credit: Courtesy of Starwood Hotels

Small stickers embedded with RFID sensors will soon pop up in Aloft hotels around the country, but you'll never see them: they'll be hidden under the carpet near your bed. Triggered by movement and weight, these stickers will sense when you wake up in the middle of the night and trigger the night light in the bathroom.

2 of 11

3 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Robot Butlers

Credit: Courtesy of Starwood Hotels

Aloft has been testing the so-called "Botlr" at its Cupertino and Silicon Valley properties since last August. Soon, the digitized butler will be ready for the national spotlight. Put in a request for service via your SPG app—more towels, for instance—and housekeeping will stash your items in the Botlr's internal compartment before dispatching him to your room.

The company had to wire its elevators with Wi-Fi in order to allow Botlr to get around on his own; when he arrives, guests are alerted by a phone call and treated to an adorable robot dance. The tipping currency of choice: Tweets.

3 of 11

Advertisement

4 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Smart mirrors

Credit: Courtesy of Starwood Hotels

Spotted in a model Four Points room: a smart mirror embedded with a customized touchscreen display populated with things like your email, Twitter feed, sports scores, or headlines. Designed to replace the full-length mirrors in rooms, these would allow you to cross a few things off your to-do list while brushing your teeth.

4 of 11

5 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Personalized room settings

Credit: Courtesy of Starwood Hotels

Starwood has long kept tabs on its guest preferences. Soon, you'll be able to tell the SPG app your preferred temperature and lighting settings (do you prefer white light? Amber tones?) so that any room is calibrated to your specifications.

5 of 11

6 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Smart appliances

Credit: © PhotoAlto / Alamy

On the heels of those Nest thermostats will come other smart appliances, like coffee makers that start brewing your morning cup automatically. Thanks to a small converter, basically any appliance in a Starwood room can be made "smart" and controlled through the SPG app.

6 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Connected room service carts

Credit: © OJO Images Ltd / Alamy

The same RFID stickers that trigger your night-light will also be attached to room service carts. The big idea: when a cart is left outside a guest room, a sticker hidden near the door will sense the room service cart and alert housekeeping to clear away the mess. No more unsightly leftovers cluttering the hallway, at last.

7 of 11

8 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Seamless streaming

Credit: Courtesy of Starwood Hotels

Aloft's Cupertino property is a natural testing ground for Apple technologies of all kinds, and the hotel has been piloting Apple TV for years now. Now, Starwood is also testing Kindle's rival service to see which will win the battle.

8 of 11

9 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Oculus rift rentals

Credit: Courtesy of The Points Guy

Unsure whether you really want to go skydiving or zip lining? Loaner units of the virtual reality system Oculus Rift might help you decide.

9 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Virtual reality bike rides

Credit: Courtesy of Starwood Hotels

Another potential application of VR technology? Augmented workouts. Starwood is creating dedicated footage to make you feel like you're bike riding through the Spanish countryside or Frankfurt when in fact, you've never left the hotel gym.

10 of 11

11 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Beautiful Solar Panels

Credit: Courtesy of Starwood Hotels

Element hotels are working on bespoke solar canopies that incorporate pretty solar energy tiles. And it’s not just about powering yoru room—at the trial property in Dallas, guests can sit under the solar panel canopy and charge their devices with the power of the sun.

11 of 11

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Nikki Ekstein

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 11 Nest thermostats
2 of 11 RFID night lights
3 of 11 Robot Butlers
4 of 11 Smart mirrors
5 of 11 Personalized room settings
6 of 11 Smart appliances
7 of 11 Connected room service carts
8 of 11 Seamless streaming
9 of 11 Oculus rift rentals
10 of 11 Virtual reality bike rides
11 of 11 Beautiful Solar Panels

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap
  • Travel Guide Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
Travel + Leisure is part of the Travel + Leisure Group. Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Travel + Leisure is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation Travel + Leisure Group All Rights Reserved, registered in the United States and other countries. Travel + Leisure may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.travelandleisure.com

View image

11 Amazing Things Found in the Hotel Room of the Future
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.