If Google ran a hotel, I can picture people parking in a faraway parking lot and being shuttled in some futuristic type of a shuttle through a long expanse of grass, unusual trees, and bizarre animals. There would be indescribable technical appraratus beside the road that nobody would be able to make sense of. It would be like being on an alien planet without leaving planet earth — perhaps.
Advanced Check In
When you got to the hotel instead of regular check in, I can imagine that guests might swipe their credit card and scan their ID. Then, a choice of rooms would be visable from a computer screen, and you could choose rooms and get your smart-key. Upon arrival at your futuristic room, you would then choose your breakfast from yet another virtual computer screen that uses touch technology. Do you want bacon, eggs, granola, or yoplait? There might be many choices, and you could also choose the delivery time.
Virtual Systems in the Rooms
It would not surprise me if the beds were also computerized for softness preference. Rooms would probably have high speed wi-fi, but there might be an amazing business center on the main floor too with huge screen computers that run really fast. As a convenience, yet another virtual system would be there to help you choose activities, restaurants, and map them. Perhaps the instructions could be downloaded onto your i-phone in three seconds or less as well.
Room Service
Many hotels have you put your glasses and plates outside your door when you are done. This is dangerous and unsightly as people might trip on them. I get Google would have a small indentation in the wall for two feet where you could put your trays and then close a cabinet door. The staff would be electonically notified that there are contents in your cabinet. And at check out time, the staff wouldn’t knock on the door until a computer system had been notified that you have left. Perhaps the door would input a record that it had been closed with aheat sensor to verify that you were actually outside the door when you closed it. Or perhaps the front desk would have a place where you could swipe your card one last time to get a printout of your receipt upon leaving. Many hotels put a receipt under the door the night before guests leave, so at express check out, perhaps the only printout would be an acknowledgment of departure. In either case, the entire procedure would be very streamlined and smart!
Other Features
Since noise and smoking are such a problem at many hotels, I’m sure a Google hotel would have sensors to immediately detect if someone had been bad by lighting up a cigarette. Additionally, if people were slamming doors or talking too loudly in the hall, noise sensors would be programmed to alert the front desk. Day time noise limits would be a little more flexible than at night, but there would be strict guidelines for peace and quiet so that guests could enjoy themselves.
Breakfast Downstairs?
Not everyone wants breakfast in their room. Some people prefer to go downstairs. It is nice to have the option. I can imagine futuristic carts carrying coffee dispensing machines, pastries, and other goodies. I can picture more touch screens asking you if you want latte, cappuccino, or mocha. There might be humans manning these cards, or perhaps they would be multilingual robotic carts.
More Robotic Carts
It would be a huge convenience if a robotic cart helped you lug your luggage from your car or from the shuttle to your room. But, if it could move on its own and know where it was supposed to go, that would provide a nice hands-off experience for the guests. But, what if the cart would also make small talk too? Disney has this technology now, and Google might too!
The Hotel Restaurant
I can’t imagine the algorithm Google would use for it’s wine list, but it sounds intoxicating. I wonder what types of foods they would serve. Probably stuff nobody has ever heard of from medieval England and perhaps a few Tibettan delicacies as well as sandwiches. No doubt Google would probably have experimental dishes on the menu every week just to get analytics on how popular each dish was including commentary. That way the menu could be constantly optimized and might even change at different times of the day or week depending on what was popular at that time. I can’t imagine what people would eat there, but a Google restaurant is definitely something I would like to try!