Hotels, Offices, and Driverless Rooms
Evolving is an interesting option. First there was a cave, after a singular car, now there's the autonomous electric vehicle, then you follow the augmented reality instructions that lead you to a stylish, driverless hotel room. It's about the size of a minibus but without the seats, steering wheel, and engine. A giant transparent panel that stretches the length and height of the vehicle greets you as you approach. The panel opens, you step inside, and everything you'd expect is there. To the left, a sofa seat folds down into a queen-size bed at the touch of a button. To the right, a small kitchenette with an electric stove, running water, a sink, a microwave, and a refrigerator. Behind that is the detachable bathroom module with a toilet, shower, and sink. Your room starts driving toward Bondi, and a live map is displayed on one of the side panels. You sit back and relax with some Netflix on the other side panel. Exactly six minutes later, a drone lands on the roof and lowers your order through a compartment in the ceiling. If you need to order a package, you simply request the room, and a drone arrives. It even does the laundry! You gaze up at a modular, Lego-like skyscraper soaring above the moonlit clouds. Your room docks with an electric skateboard and ascends thirty stories before settling into a window-facing position. One of the side panels gently opens to reveal a large adjoining living module. Additional modules are optional and can be requested: a rollaway bed, private gym, spa, snack bar, office, and more. Various levels of the tower house cafes, restaurants, retail shops, entertainment areas, communal kitchens, laundromats, a fitness center, and even a movie theater. Luxury living for $30 a night. You drift off to sleep as your driverless hotel room recharges, ready to whisk you away on an extensive tour of the city and beaches tomorrow. Your six-week experience will be customized to your precise on-demand preferences, including invitations to local communities, events, and networks of interest.