NEW YORK—Autonomous Travel Suite has won the 2018 Radical Innovation Award. On Oct. 3rd, the 12th annual Radical Innovation Award ceremony took place at the New Museum here. Nearly 200 guests—including professionals in hospitality, real estate, finance, design, branding and development—gathered for the occasion.
Four hospitality concepts were presented live on stage from three professional finalists—Aquaponic Experience Hotel, Autonomous Travel Suite and Le Colline Incantate—in addition to this year’s student winner, Room Extension Solution (RES). Finalists were chosen from more than 50 international entries based on the creativity and feasibility of their proposals.
In a live vote determined by audience members, Autonomous Travel Suite became the recipient of this year’s $10,000 grand prize. Aquaponic Experience Hotel by Alice and Clotilde Varinot of Varinot & Varinot Architectes received the runner-up recognition, a $5,000 prize. Student winners Daniel Czyszczoń and Michał Witalis of Poland’s Cracow University of Technology were awarded $1,500 for their concept, RES. Both students will also have the opportunity to pursue an assistantship for a Master’s of Architecture Degree in Hospitality Design at UNLV.
The event was co-produced by The John Hardy Group with support from founding sponsor Global Allies and official partner Sleeper magazine. Innovator-level sponsors included Beyer Brown, DFL Legal, Martin Stringfellow Associates, Son & Sons and the UNLV School of Architecture. Visionary-level sponsors included Magnetic, Castell Project and RIVUR.
The Autonomous Travel Suite integrates transportation and hospitality through a driverless, mobile suite offering door-to-door transportation service in between a traveler’s home and destination. Within a compact hotel room environment, the suite is equipped with basic sleeping, working and washroom functions, allowing guests to be most efficient and productive while optimizing travel time. In addition, each unit runs on solar-powered energy, making way to a more sustainable future.
Operated and maintained by the Autonomous Hotel Chain, once scheduled online or via mobile app, a customized unit is delivered to a traveler’s door and taken to a local Autonomous Hotel docking facility at the traveler’s destination, where the unit extends into a larger travel suite. Acting as both a personal rental car and hotel room, The Autonomous Travel Suite provides a new way of traveling and an extension of the conventional hotel experience, from the minute a traveler steps out of their home.
“The goal of our Radical Innovation community is to create entirely new segments of the travel and hospitality industries,” said John Hardy, CEO/president of The John Hardy Group and founder of Radical Innovation. “The Autonomous Travel Suite is the perfect example of this—utilizing sustainable technology as a travel solution that best serves the consumer of tomorrow.”
Utilizing autonomous vehicle technology, RES is a new concept that acts as a hotel room’s extension focused on optimizing travel time, navigation, comfort, safety and efficiency. After stepping off of a flight, travelers will be met at arrivals with a quick check-in service for RES. Inside the mobile hotel room, guests will find a full-size bed, storage space for luggage with cabinets and small wardrobe and a fully operational bathroom en route to the hotel structure and docking stations. Until the passenger leaves the hotel, the vehicle is part of the overall room.
When discussing the student winners, Hardy said, “As students of industrial design, we were impressed with Daniel and Michał’s ability to take their knowledge in technology and apply it to a hotel concept.”
