From an airline with a coveted “cinema class”, to pop-up hotels, there are a number of exciting, new innovations in store for the future of travel. Long gone are the days of annoying airport queues and boring hotel rooms. The future of travel is human-centered, practical and disruptive.
The Airline of the Future
The biggest enemy of today’s airline industry isn’t cutthroat competition or complex regulations, it’s actually the status quo. Thinking conventionally about the way a business is operated or structured does not give room for innovation. This is how Uber completely transformed the taxicab industry and Airbnb became a strong competitor to hoteliers.
The airline industry’s current reputation of taking more and giving less is leading to increasingly dissatisfied passengers. This is the perfect set-up for disruptive innovations. Design consultancy agency, Teague, has developed a disruptive concept for the airline of the future, called Poppi.
Just imagine, the year is 2026. You’re on your way to a long-awaited vacation. You drop your bags at the rail station near your home in the morning and head to the airport carrying nothing but your laptop bag and favorite hat. Fortunately for you, you racked up enough Poppi membership points for an upgrade to “cinema class” where you can enjoy a feature film on board your flight.
You browse the magazine stands at the airport until your phone pings that your seat is ready for boarding, then head to the gate. But, before you find your seat you stop by the vending machine to purchase a bag of kale chips and some candy.
This flight is sponsored by Uniqlo. Normally you enjoy your brand-sponsored middle seat gift but you have a feeling it’s going to be an autumn inspired scarf, so you decide to stick with Cinema class. The airline of the future, re-conceives seating by unique experience. The “promotional class” invites brands to participate in the cabin experience by bringing something special to middle-seat passengers.
When your film ends, you enjoy the complimentary champagne and gaze out the window reflecting on how enjoyable your vacation will be, until your flight lands. After you arrive, you casually stroll out of the airport with nothing but your hat and bag over your shoulder. Normally, your app alerts you that your digitally tracked bag is ready for pick up, but this time you treated yourself to the hotel luggage delivery service with your reward points. As always, Poppi sends you an after-flight thank you. You take a refreshing long nap, then go for a walk in the gorgeous tropical air.
The Hotel of the Future
The airline industry isn’t the only thing that’s getting a makeover. There are a number of exciting, new, innovative hotels which appeal to even the most nomadic millennials. From a hotel room that travels on the back of a truck to an eco pod that floats in the air, the hotel of the future will be practical and radical.
The Snoozebox Portable event Hotel, is unlike most hotels, in that it travels to you. The hotel is driven to guests on the back of a truck and can be disassembled on demand. It features expandable sides, walkways, and roof covers. It comes with integrated hot water and waste disposal treatment facilities, Wi-Fi, electric, and fire alarms services.
Offering flexible configurations and room availability, Snoozebox can be fully operational and ready to welcome guests within days of arriving at almost any event or location around the world. A hotel of 100 rooms can be built in 24 hours. Each Snoozebox room has an en-suite wet room with shower, basin and toilet, serviced daily with quality towels and toiletries. Comfortable beds, air conditioning, flat-screen TV, free WiFi and a personal safe guarantees guests a relaxed and enjoyable stay, whatever the weather!
The Zoku Loft is a project that originated in the Netherlands. Along with Snoozebox it was one of the finalists for this year’s annual Radical Innovation Award. Zoku markets itself as the “end of the hotel room” and the “beginning of the infinite room.” It features an array of neat design features such as pullout stairs, drawers and sliding doors that help convert the room into a variety of multipurpose spaces, depending on the needs of the guest.
Japanese for family, tribe, or clan, Zoku creates a new category within the hotel industry. It facilitates global living and working for the traveling professional. It’s a home-office hybrid, which is suitable for short or long stays and offers the services of a hotel and the social buzz of a thriving neighborhood. It offers a home base with both private areas and social spaces (communal areas) to work, sleep, play and live in.
Hans Meyer, the managing director and co-founder at Zoku says the idea is targeted at millennials who need a temporary residence between five days to several months, for work. “When traditional hotels think of extended stays, they only think this means double the size, and with a microwave. They’re missing out on the social aspect. In our research, we found that what young people like about a hostel, for example, is that they jump out of their bunk beds, go down to have a coffee, and chat for two hours with new people.”
Zoku is a great example of what the hotel of the future might look like. The first set of lofts will open in Amsterdam this Fall.
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