I Have Seen The Future, And I Am Not A Fan

On a recent visit to Seattle, I found myself gazing, dumbfounded, into the future. We Uberred (is that a verb?) from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to a brand new hotel on the city’s famous waterfront. Before we could check out the touristy coffee spots and Pike’s Place market, we had to check in to the hotel. There was only one thing wrong: there was no one there. 

Welcome to the first fully automated hotel, citizenM – a Dutch hotel chain that now has 21 locations around the globe. Small wall signs (and another guest resembling Jake from State Farm) pointed us to the front desk self-service kiosk. I scanned my ID and credit card and fumbled around to make my own magnetic hotel key. No doorman, bellhop, or front desk agent. I checked myself in. 

The empty lobby was adorned with post-modern, IKEA-style seating. The wallpaper featured thousands of faces staring back at me; floating stock image heads of every age and description. The corridors were painted black with red lights overhead, giving the entire place an Orwellian feel.

When we got to the room, I couldn’t open the door completely. CitizenM was not just small on service, the rooms were also lacking. The entire width of the room was the length of the queen size bed, crammed up against the window. It measured about 6.5 feet wide x 16 feet long, or a mere 104 square feet. The toilet and shower stall was smaller than a Carnival Cruise ship bathroom. The sink didn’t fit in the bathroom. It was attached to the wall beside the TV.

Everything in the room – from the lights to the TV to the curtains – was controlled by a bedside iPad. Nothing on the walls except three books on the shelf (one of which was an odd reading selection) and an emotional support pillow on the bed.

I’ve always considered myself somewhat of a futurist. I’ve studied tech and media and culture and tried to envision what the world will be like in the future. My stay at citizenM was an eye-opening experience. I’ve seen the future, and I’m not a fan. The future of the hospitality industry is not exactly hospitable. It is small, cramped, bleak, impersonal, and kind of ridiculous. 

Kind of like the world’s first fully automated McDonald’s, which opened last month near Fort Worth, Texas to “mixed” reviews.” 

How do brands that seek personal, emotional connections with their customers find success in this new fully-automated world? Next week, I have some ideas. #StayTuned