Hotel Rooms of the Future in Hong Kong

With a view to setting new standards for hotel rooms, the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has joined hands with its teaching and research hotel, Hotel ICON, and organized a global competition to shape guestrooms of the future.

Hotel suppliers and providers in design, technology and well-being who would like to play a part in shaping tomorrow’s guestrooms were invited to share their products and knowledge through this exceptional platform.

“We looked for innovations in the submissions and the response from the industry was overwhelming,” said Dr Basak Denizci Guillet, Assistant Professor of SHTM and Coordinator of the “Tomorrow’s Guestrooms” project.

Highlighting the importance of industry’s participation, Mr Terence Ronson, Chairman of “Tomorrow’s Guestrooms” competition, said, “It is essential that the development of ‘Tomorrow’s Guestrooms’ involves collaboration between the school and industry partners in such a way that it continues to serve as a platform to innovate, develop and showcase new technologies, hotel designs and business concepts in hotel management.”

Entrants were reviewed by an expert panel and winners have been granted the opportunity for their products and services to be tested and researched in three dedicated guestrooms at Hotel ICON for a period of six months.

The winners and their winning entries are:

• Neobar and E-Tray by Bartech: Fitted with energy efficient compressors and equipped with detection capabilities, Neobar can maximize efficiency of minibar operation and optimize guest service.

• High Definition (HD) Weave Carpet by Brintons Carpets: HD weave carpet is produced by a patented carpet loom that can weave up to 32 colours, offering the hospitality industry more design definition and colour choice.

• SuperDock DN 7000 by DNet Solution (HK): Using electro-magnetic induction technology, the dock works with all kinds of smart devices with built-in speakers. It also comes with USB charger ports and an alarm clock.

• Guest Communication Center (GCC) by Fingi: GCC is more than a bedside device. In addition to multiple charging station, it is also an IP speakerphone and can be the room internet access point.

• AElement by Salto Systems Asia: The wireless locking system not only provides real-time control over the guestrooms, but also allows cell phones to act as contactless data carriers to open and control access controlled doors.

• TELY by Service Technology Partners: With TELY, the call agent can communicate visually with the guests by pushing media and information like room service, dining, way finding, etc. in real-time to the television screen.

• iFlyPad by Spicy Innovations: iFlyPad works on all smartphones and tablets, providing a comfortable, ergonomic viewing experience for users. It can be used in many locations from back seats of flights to suitable surfaces in bathrooms and kitchens.

• Hotel ONAIR by VDA Asia Pacific: Through the cloud-based television system, the guests can experience the hotel by viewing its offerings and city attractions, and stream their own music, videos and pictures wirelessly to the television.

“Hong Kong is a city of innovation and it has a tradition of introducing innovations in the hotel industry,” said Mr Richard Hatter, General Manager of Hotel ICON. “With ‘Tomorrow’s Guestrooms’, Hotel ICON will be at the forefront of such innovation.”

With the establishment of Hotel ICON, the breadth and scale of research undertaken at SHTM has expanded.

“The ‘Tomorrow’s Guestrooms’ are created to facilitate more in-depth research into the application of advanced concepts in the field of hotel management for the advancement of the entire industry,” said Professor Kaye Chon, Dean and Chair Professor of SHTM and Chairman of “Tomorrow’s Guestrooms” competition. “We are proud to support the industry and tomorrow’s hoteliers in this innovative way.”

The three “Tomorrow’s Guestrooms” are now open for reservation.