Virtual reality

Virtual Reality (VR) has been knocking around for years but with advances in smartphone technology making it more adaptable, expect to see it make a bigger impact in the near future, especially when applied to city breaks. For example, Marriott's Travel Brilliantly campaign already provides VR Postcards that transport you to places like the Chile, Rwanda and Beijing, and this is increasingly being applied to cities. Want to get a sense of what New York's Chinatown is like? Simply take the VR tour from the comfort of your hotel room and then decide if you want to experience it for real. Given the limited time people often have with city breaks, it's a great way to prioritise the things you want to see.

Immersive experiences

One of the reasons we love travelling to a great city is to immerse ourselves in its history. With apps such as Timelooper you can actually stop at famous locations and get to see what they were like 50, 100 or 500 years ago. So if you're standing outside St Paul's cathedral, why not zip back 350 years to see how it was coping during the Great Fire of London? Or alternatively, check out Manhattan's Times Square on VJ Day in 1945. By overlaying the current environment with a detailed rendering from the past, and using built-in motion detection to provide a 360 degree experience, the app creates a unique time-warping spectacle.

Smart controls

Hotel apps such as the Marriott's mobile app let you check-in remotely, access room service, and even take on the function of a room key in some locations. But these apps are developing all the time, and soon it will be commonplace to use them to personalise your room in advance. So you'll be able to remotely adjust room temperature and light settings, decide on in-room entertainment, and even dictate which drinks you'd prefer to find in your minibar. If you're a business traveller who tends to frequent the same hotel chain, this information can be stored so that, be you in London or Cape Town, you'll get a bespoke service tailored to your preferences.

Hotel robots

Where else would you find the world's first hotel staffed solely by robots but Japan? The Henn-na hotel near Nagasaki features a female robot and a velociraptor on reception, a giant mechanical arm that takes care of luggage and a concierge robot to field any questions you might have. Of course, it's not just Japan that is starting to make use of robots. Since 2015, the Marriott in Ghent has featured the diminutive humanoid 'Mario' on reception, who helps you check-in and speaks 19 different languages. With the increasing convergence and automation of technologies, soon people will think nothing of robots providing room service and concierge services, especially in busy major cities. Next stop, Westworld – but in a good way...

Virtual assistants

With the Amazon Echo now released, it won't be long before virtual assistants in the shape of smart speakers start appearing in hotel rooms. The device can be ideally adapted to the needs of the traveller, functioning like a personalised butler service. Simply direct your query to the device and it will take care of the rest, whether it's ordering a spa treatment, offering advice on the best local restaurants, organising a wake-up call or preparing the itinerary for your visit.

Eco-city breaks

Eco-hotels are now common, and with the rise in eco-consciousness, this trend will only become more pronounced, especially in polluting, energy-guzzling cities. So expect more urban hotels to generate their own solar and hydro electricity, recycle their water and use sustainable materials in their construction. Dedicated eco-apps will sync with the hotel's computer and enable guests to monitor how much of a footprint their accommodation is leaving. This is a trend that carries into the urban environment, where technology is already helping eco-travellers decide on restaurants that use locally sourced ingredients and shops whose products are ethically sourced.

Hubs not hotels

In the future, many city hotels will become networking hubs with apps which enable the traveller to meet up with locals for a more intimate experience of a city, likely to be replicated in many hotels. We see the blurring of lines between the hotel itself and public spaces, integrating locals and visitors, and using social networking technology to bring together like-minded people.

Ultimately, our city breaks will involve a convergence of all the innovations mentioned above, augmented to serve our increasingly detailed and demanding expectations as consumers. And that is something that we can all look forward to in the future.



See how Marriott Hotels® are innovating in the travel space with Marriott TestBED.

This accelerator programme for tech start-ups in the travel sector is leading innovation aimed at enhancing or changing the way its hotel guests experience travel.