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A historical luxury hotel opens in Tel Aviv

The Jaffa, Tel Aviv, photography by Amit Geron

Tel Aviv – In a nod to the surrounding area’s history, Marriott has opened The Jaffa as part of its Luxury Collection.

The hotel, which is housed in a 19th-century hospital, features contemporary and classic elements, drawing from Roman, Corinthian and Arab influences in order to connect seamlessly with the multicultural Jaffa neighbourhood.

Aby Rosen, co-founder of property company RFR Holding, enlisted architect John Pawson to transform the hospital. ‘[John] immediately picked up on the historical importance of the port; the textures, patterns and cultural diversity of the area,’ Rosen told Wallpaper. ‘He understood that I wanted the design of the hotel to reflect this extraordinary legacy.’

The hotel will also comprise a luxury residential building, which gives residents access to The Jaffa’s amenities, including an outdoor pool, fitness centre, boutique and three restaurants.

To find out how the high-end hospitality landscape is changing, attend our Luxury and Hospitality Futures Forum, which will take place at the Corinthia Hotel London on 12 September.

Choosy uses AI to create on-demand clothing

Choosy, US

New York – Choosy is a new fast fashion brand that creates its collections based on social media demand.

The retailer uses AI to scour platforms such as Instagram for style photos that have generated comments like ‘where can I buy this?’ and uses this data to inspire its garments. Releasing 10 styles a week, with everything under £76 ($100, €85), customers then have a few days to order the pieces before Choosy puts them into production. According to the brand, customers will then receive the clothing in as little as two weeks.

Employing AI could be a solution to problems that retailers face when trying to keep up with the pace of social media fashion trends. In addition, Choosy encourages customers to comment #GetChoosy on outfits they like on Instagram, which will be considered by a team of Style Scouts for the brand’s next range.

By only creating pieces that customers want, Choosy avoids garnering surplus stock, which fast fashion retailers have been criticised for. Earlier this year, H&M admitted to holding £3.3bn ($4.3bn, €3.7bn) in unsold clothing.

An algorithm to predict the growth of cities

Spain – Researchers from the Universidade de Coruña have written an algorithm to predict what our future skyline will look like.

Taking inspiration from natural biological systems, the researchers adapted algorithms based on evolution to measure urban environments. Choosing the Minato area of Tokyo as its test case, they modelled what the skyline would look like in 2016 and 2017, then compared their model to the ongoing high-rise developments affecting Minato.

The team found the predictions to be successful: ‘it seems, according to the observations, that they will be 80% correct,’ architect Ivan Pazos told Dezeen. Although they will now use the algorithm to predict the city’s vertical growth in 2018 and 2019, the researchers say the algorithm would work on any city with numerous skyscrapers.

For more on the smart cities of the future, check our Far Futures vertical.

Spirit of the City, United Visual Artists at A/D/O, Brooklyn, New York.

Nike predicts a Chinese World Cup

China – Nike’s latest campaign, Dare to Become, taps into China’s growing interest in football culture.

Set in 2033, the futuristic ad imagines a World Cup dominated by Chinese football players, whereby a drone is the referee and young fans play football via their VR headsets. The scenes in the video are reminiscent of Nike’s historical advertising campaign featuring Christiano Ronaldo, but with Chinese football players picked from the Nike Football League.

Since President Xi Jinping’s announcement that he wants his country to win a World Cup, football has been added to school curriculums. In response, brands like Nike and adidas have been rallying to appeal to this new market. In 2017, adidas created a tv show to teach children football skills in partnership with the Ministry of Education.

Nike’s campaign aims to inspire hope in young athletes and football fans in China, who – as Arnold Ma, CEO of marketing agency Qumin, points out – are increasingly watching European football alone in their rooms.

Stat: Security remains an issue in cash-free payments

Research from Global Acceptance Transaction Engine (GATE) and YouGov has found that US consumers are willing to go cashless, but have reservations about its security. While services such as Apple Pay, Venmo and Monzo continue to gain prominence, consumers are questioning how connected merchants and payment service providers are to each other.

Even though they are sceptical about its security, the study found that one in five respondents believe their payments will be completely cash-free in their lifetime, and 48% think it will happen in the next five years.

Businesses are adopting cash-free policies more than ever. In 2017, Shake Shack’s Astor Place kiosk went cash-free, and Danny Meyer, who owns the business, has rolled out similar formats in five of his restaurants.

Thought-starter: What will the casino of the future look like?

Casinos can no longer rely on symbols of ostentatious wealth. Junior foresight writer Holly Friend explores the new gambling formats and visual codes they are using in order to win over the next generation.

The younger generation are losing interest in visiting the casino as we know it. According to a recent YouGov study, nearly half (47%) of 18–34-year-olds in the US find casinos depressing.

But a new era for gambling may be under way, with the US Supreme Court clearing the way for legalised sports betting in May, which is set to result in a change in the law in many states. With physical casinos facing decline, the industry’s future could also lie in online betting, with the YouGov study revealing that 50% of Millennials agree it should be legal.

One way casinos are looking to change consumer perception is by ridding the spaces of their opulent visual codes. The City of Dreams is a three-hotel gambling complex that partially opened this year in Macau. Instead of subscribing to the old-fashioned motifs of wealth that Macau is known for, the agency wanted to create a new version of luxury based on creative excess.

Read the full microtrend on The New Casino here.