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Yotel New York features world's first hotel robotic luggage handler

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Yotel New York features the world's first hotel robotic luggage handler (Image: Yotel)
NYC Premium Cabin at Daylight (Image: Yotel)
NYC Premium Cabin at Dusk (Image: Yotel)
New York Yotel lobby (Image: Yotel)
New York Yotel automative check-in service (Image: Yotel)
The New York Yotel, for example, features a bed that transforms into a space-saving lounging position at the touch of a button (Image: Yotel)
New York Premium Cabin Double Bunk (Image: Yotel)
The 'Mission Control' space offers a one-stop shop for service, snacks and shopping (Image: Yotel)
New York Yotel Eat Club Lounge (Image: Yotel)
The design philosophy behind the New York Yotel very much hinges on the concept of transformative spaces (Image: Yotel)
Cabins can be rented from 4 to 24 or more hours (Image: Yotel)
Yotel hotels treat guests to a fully automated check-in service (Image: Yotel)
Inspired by the luxury experience of air travel, Yotel a 'first class' hotel concept offered at an affordable price (Image: Yotel)
Yotel New York features the world's first hotel robotic luggage handler (Image: Yotel)
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Marrying space saving efficiency with a touch of 21st Century hospitality, Yotel hotels treat guests to a fully automated check-in service featuring Yobot, a theatrically lit robotic baggage drop-off machine that creates a mechanical performance for guests as it loads and stores their belongings. The robot porter is just the beginning of the novel hotel experience offered by Yotel, a capsule style hotel chain with locations in London, New York and Amsterdam.

The first Yotel hotel was created back in 2007 by YO! founder Simon Woodroffe and Yotel CEO Gerard Greene. The hotel was conceived by Woodroffe after he was upgraded to first class on a British Airways flight. Inspired by the luxury experience of air travel, he decided to create a "first class" hotel concept offered at an affordable price. The result is a compact, forward thinking urban hotel featuring small shape-shifting cabin spaces in a decidedly futuristic setting.

Commencing with hotels at international airports such as Gatwick and Heathrow in London and Schiphol in Amsterdam, Yotel has recently expanded into the US with a new flagship New York Yotel at Times Square West in Manhattan. Designed in collaboration with the Rockwell Group and Softroom, the New York Yotel features similarly styled Standard and Premium Cabins, whilst also offering First Class Cabins and VIP Cabin Suites, complete with private terraces, jacuzzis, and rotating beds with views of the Manhattan skyline.

The design philosophy behind the New York Yotel very much hinges on the concept of transformative spaces. "Designing an environment that is transformable from the second you enter a space immediately creates a unique, modern experience for the guest," said David Rockwell, founder and CEO of Rockwell Group. "By focusing our design for the brand's first U.S. flagship on the concept of convertibility of space, we were able to bring a dynamic experience to travelers and New Yorkers alike."

Minimized space means that efficient design, comfort and smart technological details become fundamental to the experience. The New York Yotel, for example, features a bed that transforms into a space-saving lounging position at the touch of a button, a Techno Wall that houses a flat screen TV and storage components, and a sleek, modern bathroom wrapped in glass. There's also the "Mission Control" space, which offers a one-stop shop for service, snacks and shopping as well as a "Studiyo" for meetings, events, yoga and parties. For dining, the hotel has created "Dohyo", a 110-seat restaurant in the size and scope of a traditional Japanese Sumo wrestling ring, with a hydraulic-controlled floor that can be raised and lowered to create a chill-out platform or performance stage when not used for dining.

The New York Yotel exclusively features the Yobot luggage service and premium cabins start at US$179 per night. The airport Yotels in London and Amsterdam remain focused on providing a comfortable and convenient solution for before or after a flight or long transfers. Cabins can be rented from 4 to 24 or more hours at prices starting at US$40 (£25) for four hours. A smart, novel solution to relax, refresh, and sleep.

Source: Yotel

View gallery - 13 images
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5 comments
Denis Klanac
Looks like a high class brothel!
agulesin
Looks interesting but can\'t actually understand what the robot, sorry, yobot does, where it puts our baggage... would be more useful having it carry our bags to our room after a tiring trip rather than stuff them into \"safe keeping\" cupboards as in the photo...
electric38
Theses robotics manufacturers need to keep an eye on the auto industry. Electric vehicles are now being produced with swappable batteries (rather than sit and wait for a charge). These robots seem to already have many of the characteristics needed to achieve a swap.
Many of the manufacturing plants producing robotics are using solar assistance for energy. Is this one? Also, is this robot produced by other robotics in the factory?
Does the Yotel offer solar charging canopies for electric vehicles?
Mr Stiffy
Industrial robots are one of the few things that really frighten me - not in some scary sci-fi kind of way - but more in terms of having your arm deep inside some heavy equipment - with a faulty switch - and it starts up removing your arm in the process.
And it\'s not karate type speed - it\'s the inertia of 250Kg or more of inertia doing 30Kmg - straight through you, from point A to point B.....
It\'s just like a wheel barrow full of bricks - swinging through the air on a long piece of rope...
This is the reason why industrial robots are stuck in fenced off work cells.....
It\'s a bit gimmicky - but it\'s also an efficient way to store luggage - using a spruced up industrial robot.
The show aspect has a certain amount of pazzaz and flair, though I would have thought a narrow aisle multi story warehousing one would have made better use of the space.
Richardf
They stole this idea from the da vinci codes french bank