Smartphone-enabled hotel rooms give customers control of their experience

The UK's Whitbread chain has announced the hub, a compact hotel room that guests can customize via their smartphone, even before they've arrived.

We’ve already seen the English Lake District’s Waterhead Hotel offer consumers the ability to tailor their room to their own tastes. Now the UK’s Whitbread chain has announced the hub, a compact hotel room that guests can customize via their smartphone, even before they’ve arrived.

The rooms – which will form part of the company’s popular Premier Inn brand – will feature a number of clever ways to make the most of their 11.4 square meter footprint. Alongside beds that fold away into desks, guests can dictate the look and feel of the room through a companion app. Before they arrive, they can turn on the lights, set the heating, switch the TV onto their favorite channel or play some music depending on their mood at the time. The app also enables users to check in without having to deal with staff, and pre-order food from the deli restaurant.

Located in the center of London, the hubs take up minimal real estate, but provide a homely feel through consumer customization. Whitbread has secured sites for 1,000 rooms that it hopes to begin opening in mid 2014. Are there other ways to hand over greater control to hotel guests to ensure their comfort?

Spotted by: Murray Orange