Whether you’re travelling for business or pleasure, there are a few great innovations that could make your journey that much easier. Suitcases that follow you around the airport and guilt-free, environmentally-friendly cutlery on aeroplanes are all part of the changing landscape that is travel.
1. Micro hotels and airport sleep capsules
Sleep capsules. Image credit: Go Sleep
When hotels began noticing that travel had become needlessly complicated, they introduced micro hotels for travellers wanting a small yet comfortable place to rest their head.
Last year, Yotel opened outposts with rooms as small as seven square metres in Istanbul’s Airport. Similar micro-hotels are popping up around the world.
Airport operators seem to believe business travellers could benefit from even smaller sleeping areas and a new prototype airpod sleep capsule was trialled in Europe last year aimed at travellers needing a power nap when their flights are delayed or during long layovers.
The units feature ergonomically-designed seats that convert into beds, complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi, air conditioning and air purifiers, power sockets, luggage storage, and flight-status screens.
2. Plastic-free flights
Hi Fly aims to replace all single-use plastics on its flights by the end of 2019. Image credit: Hi Fly
Companies are becoming increasingly creative when it comes to the ways they reduce their plastic use, introducing alternatives such as bamboo straws, paper grocery bags and reusable water bottles.
The travel industry is no exception. At the end of 2018, the world witnessed the first ‘plastic-free’ flight when Portuguese airline Hi Fly said it could ‘no longer ignore’ the impact single-use materials have on the environment. The airline replaced plastic cutlery and containers with bamboo and compostable alternatives made from recycled materials.
It doesn’t end there. Ryanair has pledged its flight will be (single-use) plastic-free by 2023, part of a five-year plan to become ‘the greenest airline’ and to eliminate non-recyclable plastics from both its aircraft and company offices.
3. A suitcase that follows you around
Ovis Suitcase: Screenshot/ForwardX Robotics video
Do you hate dragging a heavy bag around the airport? This is where Artificial Intelligence (AI) comes to the rescue. A Chinese company has invented the first AI-powered suitcase, called Rover Speed, which follows passengers around. The creation uses obstacle-avoidance technology that prevents it from crashing into things and sends a message to a registered smartphone when it finds itself more than two metres away from its owner. Whether you’re roaming through the duty-free store for deals, or rushing to catch a flight, this self-driving suitcase will be right there with you.
4. Electric aircraft
A rendering of the all-electric aircraft Rolls-Royce is designing. Image: Accel
Rolls-Royce is working on a design for the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft. The ACCEL will be a zero-emissions plane capable of speeds of 300 mph, which would make it the speediest all-electric aircraft in history. A team of British designers, engineers, and data specialists recruited from Rolls-Royce and other companies are working on the plane, which they hope will be ready to make its debut in 2020.
5. The rise of the robot hotel concierge
Robot concierges give guests info about the hotel and nearby places of interest. Image: Hilton
The dawn of the robot butler has arrived. Several hotel chains have been testing the technology for a few years now and the overriding consensus is that robots provide a positive experience for guests.
Last year, Hilton introduced Connie, named after Hilton’s founder, Conrad. Connie is a concierge that is able to inform guests about nearby places of interest. ‘She’ also provides dining recommendations and general information about the hotel.
The Henn-na Hotel in Japan has taken this technology a step further. At check-in, a velociraptor greets guests at the front desk. Check-in is performed using a touchscreen, while a ‘female’ Android bats its eyelashes at visitors. In the room, by face recognition, another robot named Churi San can be used to control heating, lighting, provide a weather forecast, and sing at a guest’s request.
6. A chatbot at your beck and call
Travel chatbots help you check in online and tell you what the weather’s like at your destination. Image: Sam
Imagine the following scenario: You are about to fly to France and your boss has asked for a draft of the presentation you thought you would complete on the plane. But you still have a sales meeting to attend, your partner wants to go out for dinner, and you haven’t packed yet.
At this point, a chatbot comes alive on your phone: ‘Air France is open for online check-in. Would you like your reference number?’ The chatbot automatically populates the mobile check-in with your data and gives you a handy weather update: it’s unseasonably cold in Paris.
SAM, or the Smart Assist Mobile application, is a chatbot developed by FCM Travel Solutions that can do just that.
SAM and other AI solutions are still evolving, and there is some way left to go. Still, this friendly travel-bot is already simplifying and enhancing the travel experience for corporate travellers today.
Text supplied by Corporate Traveller, image credit: Go Sleep
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