BigShinyThing

The hotel industry seems to be undergoing a phase of unparalleled innovation for a sector that has traditionally been slow moving and rather conservative. Most recently, Simon Woodruffe, the entrepreneur who westernised sushi with Yo! Sushi has turned his attention to hotels. Borrowing yet another Japanese concept - the Love Hotel - Yo! Group has now come up with the Yotel concept. A luxe reposte to the Easy Hotel concept of rooms for same price as a cab fare home, Yotel promises to be:

One of the world’s most radical hotel concepts, and [able to] offer a solution to expensive and boring hotels around the globe while also delivering a wake up call to the hotel industry …

Designed by Priestman Goode, who has helped Airbus define the double deck aircraft of the future, the 10.5m² standard or premium rooms feature:

• ‘Techno Wall’
• Sony flat screen TV with surround sound speaker system
• Wi-fi access
• Choice of hundreds of downloadable movies and CD’s
• Air conditioning
• Double rotating beds (!)
• Ensuite bathroom
• Aircraft cabin mood lighting
• Luxury bathroom fittings including rain shower
• Luxury bedding
• Plenty of storage
• Automated Check in / out

However, the truly revolutionary element of YOTEL is its windows, which are internal rather than external - they look into the corridors, which are in turn naturally lit through reflective mechanisms and channelling of light. This allows YOTEL to boldly go where other hotels simply can’t - tricky central city locations, airports, even underground. The reduced land costs and savings can then be passed on to customers to offer a first class experience at an affordable price.

The Yotel concept has been kicking around for a year or so now. Inital reports seemed to favour a love hotel style retreat in Clerkenwell. That particular vision has now been revised to having the hotels at key airports around the world. Hope it happens.

More detail and visuals are on the Yotel site.

Hotel Fox opened in Copenhagen in April of this year. VW and the management of Brochner Hotels invited 21 young artists to totally revamp a former 3 star hotel. Completed in a record 4 months, the hotel has 61 rooms, each with its own unique look. While the artists were busy, a competition recruited the hotel’s chefs and management staff.

The project is truly international with artists from London, Denmark, Berlin, South America, Australia, Paris, Russia, New York .. the list goes on. In addition to the hotel,there is Club Fox - a live cooking theatre (!), and Studio Fox, where eight VW Foxes are being used to create ‘mobile works of art’.

VW has further ambitions. The company’s first university, the AutoUni, is being built in its hometown of Wolfsburg and is set to open in spring 2006.

Until you realise that Gaydar has 2.1 million subcribers in the UK alone, it’s a global site and that Gaydarers already hook up with fellow gaydarers on their travels. Suddenly, it’s an inspired idea. Brandrepublic (subscription required) reports that the company behind Gaydar Radio and Gaydar.co.uk is launching Gaydartravel.com with a £1m marketing budget. QSoft Consulting, owner of the group, said research conducted by Gaydar Radio showed that a quarter of Gaydar’s audience were interested in purchasing global travel packages online.

The survey’s respondents took an average of 2.5 holidays a year, with city breaks and beach holidays topping the list. Gaydartravel.com will offer tailored packages to destinations including the UK, South Africa, Europe, the US and Australia.

Darren Cooper, Gaydartravel travel manager, said: “With many of the mainstream travel companies now actively chasing the gay and lesbian market, we are in a great position to negotiate better deals for our customers.”