PARIS—Although there’s less than a month before Accor closes its “room of the future,” some of the space’s innovative features, which include high-tech upgrades from partner Microsoft, might work their way into Novotel’s brand standards in the future.
Room 3120 at the chain’s Novotel Paris Vaugirard Montparnasse property in France was designed as an “intentionally temporary” testing ground to mark “the beginning of a new era in user experience,” Christine Ravanat, VP Global Marketing, Novotel & Suite Novotel, said in an email.
The room, which is open until 14 February, includes an Xbox 360 video game console, a Kinect sensor control, Sensorit mirror, touch-screen-controlled Surface multimedia table and a glass “capsule” with a view of Paris.
The experiment has been a hit with guests thus far, who have filled Room 3120 to 98% occupancy, Ravanat said.
“This room won’t become the brand standard,” she said. “However some functionalities in the room that have been particularly enjoyed by clients might be implemented in the Novotel network.”
Ravanat declined to comment on the cost to owners associated with implementing any of those functionalities.
Accor has 390 hotels comprising 72,694 rooms in its Novotel portfolio.
Guest reactions are measured by a customer experience survey that’s administered upon checkout.
Room 3120 was designed to cater to families of four with children under 16-years-old. It garners an average daily rate of €199 (US$253) per night.
Partnering with Microsoft
This isn’t the first time Novotel and Microsoft have partnered on an in-room guest experience.
“The Room 3120 project between Novotel and Microsoft is a new phase of strategic partnership initiated in 2008 between these two brands,” Ravanat said.
“More recently, in 2010, Novotel clients had access to a preview of the new entertainment device, the Kinect accessory,” she said.
The device uses body gestures and voice recognition to control games and entertainment. Integrating the console in Room 3120 was the next step in Microsoft and Novotel’s partnership following the placement of Xbox 360 consoles in public areas four years ago.
Going forward, Novotel intends to offer similar temporary guestroom experiences that focus on innovation.
“It is important for the brand to offer its clients a unique experience and to create surprise among them,” Ravanat said. “Novotel and Microsoft had and still have the desire to offer their customers technological solutions and practical, efficient and amusing entertainment.”
