Skyscanner is a popular way to find cheap flights, especially amongst 16 –34 year olds. They’ve been operational since 2002, have a high trust rating amongst users (64%), has 100,000 monthly visitors and revenue reportedly north of £30 million.

Their predictions for hotels in 2024 raise some interesting points.

The Integration of the Internet of Things.

Contributing to this report was the Futurologist Ian Pearson, who suggested “pillows with embedded electronics that provide sleep-aiding head and neck massages and morning wake-up calls, while holographic systems that project 3D images of personal trainers, movie characters, or even friends and family will be offered.”

Pearson is talking about the Internet of Things (IoT) being integrated into hotel rooms and the guests travel experience. In some respects that’s likely. Giving guests more control over their environments, especially in luxury hotels, is one way to keep doubling down on the luxury aspect of the experience hotels are selling.

We are likely to see a greater integration in private homes, so hotels will need to keep pace. At the same time, there’s likely to be something of a privacy push back, given this is yet another way to collect and use personal data. Which means security issues will have to be confidently addressed before guest will be comfortable with pillows that monitor their health.

A Completely Customisable Room.

Skyscanner’s Director of Hotels Nik Gupta might be wrong about travel evolving due to a prolonged fight against peer-to-peer accommodation (Airbnb). He may also be off-base about guests no longer interacting with hotel staff (ATM’s or automated tills haven’t decimated the ranks of banking or supermarket staff), but he does make some good suggestions.

He suggests “Guests will be provided with menus of things to do, restaurants to eat in and theatre performances to watch, that exactly meet their individual needs and preferences.”

Starting with luxury chains that would be an innovation worth implementing. Some hotels, like The Peninsula Hong Kong and Hilton’s Conrad brand, are already experimenting with personalisation technology. We are likely to see a lot more of this in the coming decade, and guest expect more for their money.

What are your predictions for hotels during the next decade?