SMART HOTELS WANTED

Cool design and smart technologies for hotels 3.0

If there’s one thing coronavirus didn’t have to teach us, it’s that people increasingly feel a need to communicate with one another irrespective of where they are in the world, both for private and professional reasons. Owning a mobile device has become a matter of course, and you expect all sorts of objects to form networks within the Internet of Things no matter where you are, including in hotels/and hotels are no exception.

At the same time, however, a growing need for more cosiness and new services has been identified. Simply put, you’d like to enjoy the level of comfort you’re used to at home, while on the move. That said, you would by no means want to miss out on all the mod cons of a modern workspace anywhere.

A study conducted by the Frankfurt Institute for the Future (Zukunftsinstitut) revealed that all over the world, conventional services and offers provided by the hotel industry are being re-thought, re-defined and re-designed, starting from urban “refuges for the nomads of the global creative class” via a range of holistic, health-oriented hotels to cool eco-friendly countryside hideaways. (Zukunftsinstitut, Oona Horx-Strathern, 2016)
Smart solutions don’t just benefit hotel guests – new features can also facilitate the work of hotel staff, increase efficiency and help reduce costs.

The City Hub
Amsterdam // Netherlands

The City Hub perceives itself as the “key to the city” promising a young urban community added personal experience. The concept of this hotel is to offer the 24/7 target group of digital natives that are continuously on the move more comfort than the ordinary cheap hostel. After all, City Hubs are, in the very sense of the word, fully connected hubs. Check-in starts with a touchscreen in the lobby where you receive an RFID wristband to unlock the hub for you (incidentally, the wristband also opens the beer tap). Via the CityHub app you can create a light mood to suit your needs. At the same time, the app contains a city guide feature and a messaging platform. Supported by city hosts, i.e. staff who are available around the clock and always have an ace up their sleeve if you’re searching for where the (night-) life is, it’s the design and fresh atmosphere that will inspire you during your stay in the midst of a young community. You certainly won’t have to miss out on any of the features of a contemporary urban lifestyle.



________

Project: The City Hub
Location: Netherlands
Photographers: City Hub

Hotel Schani
Vienna // Austria

Bang in the middle of Vienna near the Central Station stands Hotel Schani, a unique synthesis of tradition and modern style. Here, guests will discover authentic facets of Viennese culture enhanced by futuristic elements.

Ever-rising requirements of potential guests were taken into consideration even at the planning stage. Innovative options for selecting a room that suits your needs were developed in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO), as was a mobile check-in/check-out feature which greatly reduces waiting times. Download an app and your smartphone turns into a door opener. A perfectly equipped co-working space is installed in the multi-purpose lobby. Rounded off by classy interior design, the Schani – which was created by the architect Gabriel Kacerovsky from Archisphere and has been hosting numerous cultural events – is an emotional experience.

Obviously, great emphasis was also placed on sustainability. In 2014, the hotel received the “Green building” award from the European Commission. Carbon emissions were substantially reduced through the usage of district heating and cooling. Additionally, sophisticated water management, LEDs, charging stations for e-cars and other measures were established so that total energy consumption is 41% less than in conventional hotels.

The Schani family operates another attractive, technologically smart boutique hotel called Hotel Schani Salon in Mariahilfer Strasse, also in Vienna. A new Schani hotel is scheduled to be opened in Munich in 2021.


________

Project: Hotel Schani
Location: Austria
Architect: Gabriel Kacerovsky / archisphere.
Photographers: Gregor Hofbauer

The 25hours hotel group
Cologne & Berlin // Germany

The 25hours hotel opened in Hamburg in 2005 with an amazing novel concept. Since then, this has led to the emergence of a hotel brand with establishments in many interesting locations around Germany, Austria, Switzerland and in Paris. The chain is set to expand further.

From the very outset, its success was based on being different and more individual than the competition. The 25hours chain continued to develop fresh and sometimes crazy ideas with a typical hint of added coolness in terms of design or positively surprising services in typical hotel facilities including catering areas. In this context, smart tech frequently comes into play with high-speed Wi-Fi access throughout the entire premises, Bluetooth speakers and IMac workstations for urban nomads and rental bikes and cars – all this is part of the basic package 25hours guests enjoy. In addition, the hotels feature modern co-working spaces. In Cologne, for example, futuristic working islands (called “working units”) are available, the focus being on connectivity and design. In Berlin, a working lab with experimental comfy seats has been installed in the 25hours located at the Bikinihaus, to quote just another case in point.

Smartness has played a major role in all the 25hours hotels, and it’s not limited to technical gimmicks. Thanks to their perfect technical equipment and facilities and the outstanding design, all hotels of this brand cater to the individual needs of a diverse range of clients. Whether it’s pop-up stores, product launches, castings, press conferences, photo shoots, radio or TV broadcasts, management strive to meet any requirements guests might have.



________

Project: The 25hours hotel group / Hotel The Circle
Location: Germany
Architect: O&O BAUKUNST
Photographers: Steve Herud
________

Project: The 25hours hotel group / Bikini Berlin
Location: Germany
Architect: Hild and K Architects
Photographers: Stephan Lemke