CNN video: The hotel room of the future

Futurehotel is a two-year-old German research project whose purpose, according to spokeswomen Vanessa Borkman, "is to find out what guests like in hotels and how they want a perfect hotel to be in the future."

Innovative features being explored at Futurehotel include "floorsense," a system of floor sensors that do everything from adjust lighting to monitoring guests' heart rates. Some major hotel companies are already taking note of the possibilities for future hotels.

Check out the full Business Traveller technology special on CNN International this Wednesday at 16:30 HKT.

More futuristic hotel rooms

Three Singapore hotel rooms right out of Star Trek.

Panasonic's Capsule Hotel in Tokyo, scheduled to open August 31, 2009.

The Hydropolis Underwater Hotel in Dubai is under construction and might yet make its target launch date of "sometime in 2009." Rooms will feature panoramic underwater views.

Tune Hotels is building low-budget versions of future hotels across Southeast Asia, with the first opened in Kuala Lumpur. Rooms are spartan and guests pay for only what they use. According to the 'Budget Travel' article linked above, "There's no meeting room, pool, gym, or spa. Forget room service or minibars. And while the chain experimented with in-room televisions in Borneo, its spokesperson told us that future hotel rooms will be without TV or radio." Sounds a bit lame, but with rooms as low as US$3 a night, Tune will undoubtedly appeal to at least some future travellers.