I recently flew out to New York City to host a fireside chat with Gary Vaynerchuk and a group of incredible, established entrepreneurs. In preparing for my trip, I looked for a place to stay, and after scanning a couple of locations, I landed on YOTEL.
When I first arrived at YOTEL around 3:00 a.m., I entered the purple lit lobby, exhausted after dealing with extreme flight delays. After all the bad luck I had already experienced, to my surprise, checking into my room was actually incredibly seamless. All I had to do was walk up to the Kiosk, check myself in, and I was able to collect two room keys. Although a guy appeared out of the purple shadows to assist me, by the time he reached my kiosk, I had already figured everything out and was good to go. I figured his purpose was similar to that of a bank teller; though there for aesthetic purposes, but perhaps not totally necessary if you have a properly functioning keypad right in front of your face.
After retrieving my room keys, I took an elevator to the fourth floor surrounded by more purple lights and the sounds of eclectic vibes playing softly in the background. Upon exit, I wrapped around the corner, which directed me into another elevator, and off I went to the 27th floor—the top floor of the hotel.
Excited by the tech, I began looking around. Immediately, I noticed the vending machine, which provided everything from condoms to universal charging adapters. I finally arrived at my room, unlocked the door, and ahhh… you guessed it, more purple lights. By this point, I was waiting for “Purple Rain” to fade in, and Prince’s spirit to fill the space.
The room was super high-tech. The bed adjusted at the push of a button, rising up and down. The bathroom showcased clean, white towels warmed by a heated towel rack. To grab a bite to eat, guests were instructed to turn to channel 71. It was late, so I tucked in and shut down. Two days later, when it was time to check out, I received an email, and with the click of a button, I was all set to leave.
I have to say, YOTEL offered one of the best user experiences I’ve ever come across in the hotel space. All I can say is YOTEL is truly the hotel of the future.
For a full tour of YOTEL, watch the clip below:
https://youtu.be/H58h3PgWX-g