The emergence of a new travel design science, which is a combination of using big data, artificial intelligence and predicting travelers' dreams, will mean the whole travel experience will change
– Dr. James Canton

The hotels of 2060 will self-assemble and morph from one design to another based on the votes of their guests, a leading futurist has predicted in a study on how the hospitality industry is likely to change over the next 43 years.

Dr. James Canton of the Institute for Global Futures – a think tank that advises Global Fortune 500 companies on emerging trends in innovation and technology – predicts that within the next two decades, nanotechnology and 3D printing will develop to a stage where environments, buildings and “entire physical worlds” can alter their own layout.

Temporary pop-up hotels could be commissioned by public vote with the theme, design and location decided all via crowdsourcing.

The projection is one of several that feature in the newly-published Hotels of the Future study, commissioned by booking company Hotel.com to look one year, 25 years and over 40 years into the future.

According to the study, the hotel guests of the future will expect to be served by robot butlers and to stay in intelligent hotel rooms in which “super-tech meets super-science.” They will enter their room via facial recognition and every surface will be touchscreen, reactive and interactive, with entertainment also provided by augmented reality and personalised holographic experiences. 3D makers will generate items guests desire in real-time, “such as a new pair of shoes, clothes, pharmaceuticals, even computers or wearable phones.”

Wellness is central to this future vision. Guests will wear multiple sensors to ensure all their physical and wellbeing requirements are provided for. Neuro-enhanced aromas will sprout from interactive spa walls that sense stress and auto-generate a relaxing sleep experience. Towels will have pollution-clearing nano-coatings, temperatures will be controlled automatically and beds and pillows will self-assemble to maximise comfort.

Explaining his findings, Canton said: "Trends in technology, science, energy and entertainment will vastly change the hotel experience for travellers. The emergence of a new travel design science, which is a combination of using big data, artificial intelligence and predicting travellers' dreams, will mean the whole travel experience will change."