With another year having flown by, I thought I'd have a go at trying to work out which new trends will stick and which will sink without trace.

Large 'wet room' style showers (as pictured below in the Town Hall Hotel) are becoming ever more common in luxury London hotels - will this trend continue in 2012?



There are some indisputably major trends – I suppose the boutique hotel has been one of the bigger trends, as well as the expansion into hotels by luxury brands such as Bulgari.  And then there are also little fads that pass. 

But in between the two there are some quite interesting small trends in the hotel sector which seem to be taking off – which while they won't change the world are nonetheless quite significant to observe.  I call these "micro trends" and here are some of my favourites:

Pump dispensers rather than little toiletry packs. 

Generally, I welcome this if done right.  I loathe trying to get little bars of soap opened or trying to tear open shampoo sachets.  And there's never quite enough of anything if you're staying in a hotel for a few days.  On the other hand, pump dispensers do mean I can't nick the nicer toiletries for use at home, which if I'm staying in a hotel with Floris, Taylors of Old Bond Street, or Molton Brown, is really a pity.
 
Dean Street Townhouse provides toiletries from its Cowshed range



Vending machines to replace room service in budget and mid-range hotels. 

The last decade has seen innovation in vending technology, including temperature control (e.g. real capuccino), healthy products and meal vends – it's certainly not just about chocolate bars and Coke any more.  While vending machines have mainly been the preserve of budget brands like Travelodge and Tune, I suspect more hotels will be using them to economise on housekeeping costs and to deliver premium products at budget prices.
 
Check in kiosks at YOTEL: will more hotels adopt these as a queue-reducing device?



Electronic check-in and check-out. 

While YOTEL is using electronic check-in to help customers who're jet-lagged and want a quick route to some Z's, other hotels are also getting interested.  I suspect this will move up-market as a queue-busting device, giving guests the opportunity to choose whether to wait a few minutes at peak times or to prioritise speed of departure.

Wet rooms (often without a bath) are becoming more popular partly because more people now have them at home, but also because they're easier to clean and maintain. 

Showers have now become standard; and of course once you take the bath out of the room, you can squeeze more features in – particularly attractive to hoteliers in crowded (and expensive) city centres. I shall miss the chance to have a proper soak, but this does seem to be the way things are going.
 
As more media gets consumed from hotels there is an opportunity to provide content



Increasing availability of media within the hotel. 

A newspaper and a few satellite channels isn't enough anymore.  Some hotels have books or DVDs available through the reception, or lend out games consoles for entertainment.  Whether these services are free, charged for or provided through a hotel mini-shop, I can see them becoming more important – we live such media-rich lives at home that we demand more and more tecnologically up-to-date entertainment from hotels.
 
The Lanesborough (where we did the freeWiFi touchdown pictured below) is in a minority of luxury London hotels with free WiFi - we're naming and shaming ones that charge



Free WiFi everywhere. 

Okay, it hasn't happened yet – but I think it will.  First off, when booking a hotel as a small business where I have to use my laptop, will I pick a hotel with or without free WiFi?  I'm sure you can guess.  But imagine that for some reason I am unfortunate enough to accidentally book a room in a hotel that charges £5 or £25 or whatever for WiFi access and next door is a Costa Cafe or Starbucks with internet access for free.  Where am I going to hang out this morning?  As a matter of fact, London Hotels Insight has been aggressively promoting London hotels that offer free WiFi.  It's odd how some luxury boutique hotels (Red Carnation) and 4 star hotels in London (Radisson Edwardian) enthusiastically offer free WiFi to their guests, while others (especially ultra-expensive ones) charge a king's ransom.  Rest assured that the latter will be named and shamed!
 
The pressure on "dinosaur" luxury hoteliers who fail to offer free WiFi is going to be cranked up a few more notches in 2012...watch this space!



Photo credits: igloowhite, Town Hall Hotel, London Hotels Insight blogger Timea.

London Hotels Insight provides up-to-date, independent advice for your perfect stay in London. We research guest feedback, meet management and identify hotels at the top of their game.

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