Travel & Hospitality: Notable Seed stories from 2009

Moscow, São Paulo, Amsterdam – In 2009 travel went high-tech, quick-fix and New Budget.

The room of the future was looked at by Paris-based architecture studio Jouin Manku. Commissioned by W Hotels Worldwide as part of touring exhibition, ‘Le Paris de Patrick Jouin’, the Extreme Wow Suite offered a sensory experience and impressive elements of customization.

A sleep pod, aimed at the always-on Bleisure traveller was designed by studio Arch Group. Intended for use in public spaces, such as railway stations or airports, the ‘Sleepbox’ was kitted out with a built-in LCD tv, wifi capability, electrical sockets for charging a laptop or mobile phone, and space for luggage.

The citizenM hotel in Amsterdam offered travellers a room within a building full of modern art and design. With tech replacing some of the usual frills associated with high-end hotels, the check-in and check-out processes were completed via a touch-screen computer and everything was programmable from a portable touch-screen Mood Pad.

2009 was the year that New Budget Travel checked in.