aprilli design studio's autonomous travel suite is a hotel room on wheels

toronto-based design studio aprilli envisions the future of travel, packing all of the amenities of a hotel room into a self-driving four wheeler. the autonomous travel suite integrates transportation and hospitality though a driver-less, mobile suite offering door-to-door transportation service between the traveler’s home and destination.

all images and video courtesy of aprilli design studio

the suite — which was this year’s radical innovation grand prize winner — comes equipped with basic sleeping, working and washroom functions, with the aim of allowing guests to use their travel time more efficiently and productively. riders simply enter their destination via the online app, as well as any other services required, before the vehicle analyzes the best route, communicating with nearby facilities to fulfill their needs along the way. comfort is further enhanced with even more autonomous features including the vehicle’s ability to self-monitor and optimize its indoor environment — presumably the temperature inside and possibly the lighting.

the autonomous travel suite is this year’s radical innovation grand prize winner

aprilli imagines the hotel room on wheels concept as individual travel suites to be operated by an autonomous hotel chain. the hotel chain comprises a network of different facilities offering stationary parent units and public amenities which can be added individually depending on the travelers need. amenities would include food and beverage services, meeting rooms, spa, pool and gym facilities, as well as housekeeping, maintenance and charging services for travel suites.

simply enter your destination via the online app, as well as any other services required

each facility can be booked individually and travelers can use any nearby autonomous as much as they need during the travel. the autonomous hotel also offers unmanned service vehicles which can be dispatched to nearby travel suites, providing fresh batteries or room services. it would also offer parent units where individual travel suites can dock into, to create integrated units.

individual travel suites can dock into, to create integrated units

aprilli’s hotel room on wheels concept combines the idea of a mobile hotel as a new form of hospitality and advanced transportation. among concerns over the battery life of autonomous vehicles and the developments being made to create routes that permit them, designers believe more important questions include: ‘how long can people stay inside a limited space?‘ or ‘what can people actually do during the long travel time?‘ its an idea not off the mark with company’s like renault creating self-driving luxury lounges for business people on the go, or volvo’s 360C autonomous car which functions as a bedroom, living space and work office.

together the individual travel suites would create integrated units

‘passengers need a real space with washrooms, beds, desks, windows and natural light, which is why the fancy new autonomous car designs will simply not work for long distance travels’, the studio explains. ‘the autonomous travel suite is a specialized hospitality-serviced mobile room, not a car. it is a platform hosting new technologies and hospitality services that can make travel more convenient and meaningful.‘

the vehicle has the ability to self-monitor and optimize its indoor environment

‘as a new way of traveling, the autonomous travel suite will become a strongly competitive form of inter-city traveling bringing impact on conventional transportation and hospitality industry‘, continues the design team. ‘along with future technologies including artificial intelligence, robotics, drones etc, the autonomous travel suite will become your companion, changing your journey into a destination.‘

aprilli imagines that drones could assist in managing the autonomous hotel concept