Vacations are about experiencing new places. Those enticing back streets in Tokyo where the street food smells just draw us in? The Paris boulevards under the watchful eye of the Eiffel Tower? A beachfront resort complete with bamboo huts and crystalline waters? Travel is upping its game, though. Now, it’s all about traveling into the future. A new generation of futuristic hotels are providing just that, and some of them are unreal. The era of Grande Dame stuffiness, marbled lobbies, and crested pillars might be fine for middle-aged couples, but younger generations are craving something way cooler: the future.
Intergalactic dining rooms, pod-like sleeping zones, and underwater or sky-high locations are where the world’s most avant-garde hotels are finding themselves, and a fair few are replacing their staff with robots. The vein marbles are getting replaced with slate grey floor washes and stark whites. The four-poster beds are giving way to levitating circular alternatives, and we’ve got to admit, it looks awesome. Travel bloggers are covering the ones we could never afford, but a surprising number of them are within reach, budget-wise. With some of these hotels though, even the seasoned experts were in for a shock. From New York City, Dubai, and Tokyo to everywhere in between, here are 20 breathtaking hotels that look like they belong in the future.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view
20 THE SINGAPORE HOTEL WITH AN INFINITY POOL TOPPING THIS
When The Telegraph sent a reviewer to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, she was less psyched about the quick drive to Singapore’s designer-packed Orchard Road and way more keen on the hotel’s ultra-futuristic edge. Views of “Avatar-esque” trees from floor-to-ceiling windows are otherworldly here, as is the Venetian-style canal that runs through the mall section of the hotel. It also sits near the 90-ton steel Rain Oculus, where 5811 gallons of water falls per minute. A bonus for foodies, there are over 80 dining options on-site.
At $5.9 billion, the 55-story, triple-towered Marina Bay Sands is reportedly the most expensive stand-alone integrated resort property ever built.
19 THE SHENZHEN HOTEL STAFFED BY ROBOTS
It isn’t the future without the Rise of the Machines. In Shenzhen, China, the Pengheng Space Capsules Hotel is about as futuristic as it gets. The hotel’s doormen, waitstaff, and front desk attendants are all robots, and guests are leaving rave reviews. “Creative design makes you feel like you’re going into a spaceship,” one reviewer told SiteMinder.
The ultra-minimalist aesthetics are in keeping with the next-gen vibe, so expect egg chairs, back-lit surfaces, suspended glass, and a very attentive robot while you watch TV on the space capsule rooms’ giant screens. For all humans who want a taste of being a humanoid, head to the Pengheng.
18 9 HOURS IS A KYOTO HOTEL THAT HAS IT ALL TIMED
You could be forgiven for thinking that the 9 Hours hotel is just another avant-garde name. As it turns out, the Kyoto hotel in Japan got its name from what it calculated as the time needed for guests to prepare for bed, to sleep, and to shower. Open around-the-clock it might be, but this robot-inspired property has its guests’ schedules all figured out. Business and leisure travelers come here for the sleek Japanese design, stark white lobby, and single-bed pod rooms. These are stacked side by side for a futuristic and luxurious take on a bit of a chicken pen, although there are separate floors for men and women. All come with light-sensitive alarm clocks.
17 THE ABU DHABI HOTEL OVERLOOKING A RACE TRACK
If there’s any region earth that can guarantee an over-the-top experience, it’s the United Arab Emirates. Gold-plated iPads in the world’s only 7-star Burj Al Arab hotel come standard in neighboring Dubai, although innovation is just as good over in Abu Dhabi–the location for this hotel. You’re looking at the former Yas Viceroy Hotel, which is in the process of being rebranded under the W Hotel company. Visually striking with its futuristic curves and panelled glass, this 499-room hotel straddles a marina and actually overlooks the Formula 1 race track. The curvilinear glass and steel outer is known as The Grid Shell and is visible from miles away.
16 YOTEL HAS CAPSULE ROOMS AND MOTORIZED BEDS
Bang in the middle of New York City (although slightly tucked away on a quiet 10th Avenue spot), the Y Hotel is drawing travelers with its futuristic look and surprisingly affordable rates. Itsy bitsy capsule-like rooms here are decked out in backlit whites, smooth-lined couches, and indented amenities making the most of the limited space. The motorized beds fold upright when not being used, but it’s the airport-style touch screens and Star Trek-like staff uniforms that really polish the feel. Common areas offer a giant roof terrace, plus a stellar bar.
The Yotel is adored for its Yobot – the adorable luggage-handling robot who wanders the lobby. NYC rates start at $188 a night.
15 FORTY FEET UNDER THE SEA IN AN OFFSHORE LAGOON
The Poseidon Underwater Resort in Fiji really took its time when it came to construction– 13 years, to be precise. Forty feet under the ocean in an offshore lagoon, this 2014-opened resort is an aquatic-themed mega-thrill. Underwater views from its individual suites are panoramic, and 70% of the exterior surface is made from transparent acrylic. Talk about a room with a view. Eye-popping marine life is visible from your bed, and internal fish feeders, controllable lights, and bubble-effect design really enhance the experience. There’s also an undersea spa and wedding chapel here. Prices start from around $12,000 for a 7-night stay.
14 LEVITATING BEDS IN THE GREEK ISLANDS
From someone who’s been there, know this. The rugged, cliff-pressed Greek islands aren’t the most design-friendly place to start building futuristic stuff. The majority of hotels here adopt the traditional whitewashed or blue-domed look that is synonymous with Greek culture. The Andronikos Hotel in Mykonos blends Cycladic charm with next-gen right angles, soft-white couches, and mood lighting for a futuristic take on grown-up living (that extends to the “no under 12s” policy). Like most high-end hotels in the region, all rooms have iPod docks and jetted tubs, but it’s the levitating-looking beds that caught our eye. Well, that and the view from the hotel’s Sky Bar.
Featured Today
25 Things Tourists Should Learn Before Heading To Iceland
25 Real Life Locations All LOTR Fans Should Go To
Escape The Crowds At These 24 Remote Islands In The Pacific Ocean
13 THE SPACE STATION HOTEL SET TO OPEN IN 2022
Outer space tourism is finally within reach. In 2022, travelers will be able to go where no holidaymaker has gone before – actual outer space. The Aurora Space Hotel was announced at the Space 2.0 Summit in San Jose, California, and science geeks are nerding out on this place so bad. Exhilarating zero gravity, literally otherworldly views, and luxury will finally be available in one hotel package (provided you can afford the $700,000 a night rate). Astronomical prices these might be, but so is the experience.
This outer space hotel will allow 16 sunrises and sunsets per day. It comes with a $700,000-a-night price tag, though.
12 OPEN-AIR WALKWAYS AT THIS SINGAPORE PROPERTY
With its planter terraces, and dizzying sky gardens, the PARKROYAL on Pickering is a lush, but very futuristic-looking hotel right by Singapore’s Chinatown. The look is inspired by terraced rice fields, although the result is a cross between that and video game racing tracks. Inside, slab concretes and multi-storied glass towers stagger vast common spaces in a larger-than-life ensemble of fusion restaurants and spas, but the design here allows guests to explore the walkways for the best views in town. Sure, the bamboo plays into the local culture, but the engineering at this hotel earns it a spot on this list.
11 BUBBLE-EFFECT MODERNISM IN HISTORIC MILAN
The Italian city of Milan might have you picturing baroque architecture and ancient statues, but that isn’t the case at the Barcelo Hotel. Formerly known as the B4, this 2011-built property channels whimsical modern energy into its lime green splashes, and the bubble look is very next-gen. Birch trees in the soaring lobby have matching wallpaper here, and it’s all very “nouveau” – including see-through bathrooms that are most likely the reason this is a bit of a couples’ place. The industrial design here pushes the boundaries of modern art, although most guests find the citrus-infused dining room and wood-panelled rooms to be pretty fun.
10 THE APTLY NAMED DEATH STAR LUNAR HOTEL COMPLEX
Bringing Star Wars to the Caspian Sea, the Death Star Lunar Hotel Complex (more commonly known as the Half Moon Hotel) began construction in 2012. Located in Bazu, Azerbaijan, this disc-shaped property might not be in ultra-futuristic Dubai or China, but it’s set to have a lot going for it. Mimicking a crescent mood, the hotel’s architecture will arch over the splendid bay setting and be joined by three tall residential and office towers. It somewhat resembles a project in Dubai, although given that the Emirates one collapsed due to funding, this moon-shaped property may well take the top spot. Yoda would approve.
9 THIS BELGIAN ROBOT IS A HIT (AND A LOCAL CELEBRITY)
FYI, Ghent is one of those massively quaint European towns where everything dates back to the Middle Ages. The Belgian town draws tourists on account of its spire cathedrals, 12th century castles, oh – and this little dude. This is Mario, who calls The Ghent Marriott Hotel his home. While the hotel is mostly staffed by regular humans, they do get to interact with their most futuristic employee, and he’s become somewhat of a celebrity. Mario speaks multiple languages, greets guests on arrival, and he knows the entire menu inside out.
This is Mario, the Ghent Marriott hotel robot. Mario Monday is the day he tours the hotel neighborhood.
8 WHEN YOU WANT TO DINE ON SITE
An undersea hotel is the kind of stuff you dreamed about as a kid after watching too much TV. This isn’t fantasy, though. The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is an idyllic tropical resort spread over two islands connected by a bridge. While the white sands and turquoise waters draw beach lovers, it’s the hotel itself that is the standout feature here. The $15 million hotel has underwater suites where sleeping 16.4 feet below the Indian Ocean can be a reality, and it doesn’t stop there. Gazing at tropical fish and coral reefs continues in the world’s first underwater hotel dining room. The only downside – it might make you want to turn vegetarian.
7 THIS FRONT DESK ATTENDANT IS A HUMANOID ROBOT
Welcome to hotel check-in, the humanoid way. At the Henn-na Hotel in Nagasaki, Japan, the world’s first humanoid-run hotel is welcoming guests in sci-fi fashion. Not only do these eerily human-looking robots assist with a smooth check-in (in any language), they even accompany guests to any of the hotel’s 72 rooms. Their job here is to sit on your bedside table and be helpful at all times. Techie innovations include air-con that adjusts to your body temperature and a robot concierge who will explain breakfast.
Guests here check in with Churi-rans – pink and green cartoon-esque robots with permanent smiles and three hearts on their heads.
6 WHEN A MEDIEVAL TOWN GETS THIS ADDITION
When the surroundings are Spanish Basque wine country villas and medieval cobbles, the last thing you’d expect is to see something like this. Enter the Canadian-American architect and all-round innovator, Frank Gehry. This guy’s gravity-defying designs include the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, plus watches, Tiffany tabletops, and hockey rinks. The Hotel Marques de Riscal is a titanium-loving, freeform feat of modern architecture. With a 2006-designed plethora of color, shimmer, shapes, and Guggenheim-esque aesthetics, there’s definitely a “somewhere in the future” feel to the place. Inside, it’s all luxury. Bang & Olufsen speakers, maple wood walls, all-marble bathrooms, and staggering terrace views.
5 THE QUARRY HOTEL FOR THRILLSEEKERS
“A resort for the future” is how Planetoddity described the Waterworld Resort in Songjiang, China. As this hotel racks up the design awards, it isn’t just the futuristic look that’s turning heads. Set in a spectacular quarry and constructed from naturally occurring elements, this 400-bed resort has underwater rooms, robust glass, and an extreme sports center on-site. The resort overlooks dizzying cliff heights amid lush greenery, where a 19-story waterfall adds a serene edge to the otherwise sci-fi finish. The entire resort produces its own electrical energy through geothermal power – talk about futuristic. Views from top-floor rooms are as intimidating as they are beautiful.
4 WHEN THE BREAKFAST BUFFET LOOKS LIKE THIS
If you’ve been to a hotel breakfast buffet, you’ll know the drill. Drab furnishings, floral-patterned carpets, and wall-to-wall woods that remind you just how old the place is. Welcome to the NHow Berlin. This German hotel offers a little something different in its bubblegum pink dining room. Funky patterns, asymmetric looks, and a pink UFO sculpture in the lobby jazz up a stay here, where the space-age design also has a musical edge. There’s an on-site recording studio, in-house concerts, DJ sets, plus art exhibitions and fashion shows. The psychedelic pinks continue into the rooms, where bubble-print floors give a Cinderella edge – if Cinderella was wandering in outer space.
3 OUTER SPACE, BUT ON A BEACH
Don’t be fooled by the average-looking exterior. The I-Suite hotel in the Italian province of Rimini is a step into the future, from the minute you walk into the lime green, mirrored lobby. Unexpected screens, rounded edges, and not a sharp corner in sight make this cutting-edge hotel an ultra-modern and definitely futuristic property, particularly when you take the Roman era surroundings into account. Think polished all-whites, reflective surfaces, and very Matrix-like pod screens that chop up floor-to-ceiling windows. With only 55 rooms, this is a boutique property, but with its clinical decor, internet media centers, and double-decked pools, this makes for an Italian stay like no other.
2 THE BUDGET MEXICAN HOTEL WITH POD ROOMS
Not all futuristic travel has to be above budget. The Benito-Juarez International Airport hotel in Mexico City offers the pod experience at a more-than-reasonable $30 per night. With pod rooms stacked on top of each other, the feel can be a bit overwhelming at first, but it’s the Death Star aesthetic and uber-modern amenities that draw travelers. Each space-conscious pod measures six feet long by three feet wide. Full bedding, TVs, USB ports, and Wi-Fi are provided, alongside a locker room, shared bathrooms, and lock boxes for luggage.
This $30-a-night Mexico City hotel has everything you need. A TV, Wi-Fi, a safe, and USB charging ports.
1 STARK WHITE MINIMALISM IN BUZZING MADRID
Design hotels are all the rage. When that design is futuristic with a different nationality of architect designing each floor, things turn interesting. At the Hotel Puerto America in the Spanish city of Madrid, 308 rooms form the vinyl facade which is, in fact, a clever screen system modulating incoming light. From the sci-fi corridor feel to the ultra-slick white beds (which appear to be levitating), this is a hotel of the future. Circular or modular features and a lobby that looks like it belongs in the year 2050 make this property a must for any lover of avant-garde concepts.
Unless you fear the Rise of the Machines, these 20 hotels need to go viral ASAP. Hit share on Facebook for your friends who won’t believe these exist until they see it.
Source: Read Full Article