Trekking And Technology

Business travellers are likely to experience new trends, including plastic-free airplanes, electric flights, micro-hotels and chatbots this year

- Oz Desai

Micro-hotels and airport sleep capsules

Some hotels have decided that travel has become needlessly complicated and have introduced micro-hotels for travellers wanting a small, comfortable place to rest their heads. Last year, Yotel opened outposts with rooms as small as 7m2 in Istanbul Airport. Similar micro-hotels are popping up around the world.

Even smaller sleeping areas with a new prototype airpod sleep capsule trialled in Europe last year, aimed at travellers needing a power nap when flights are delayed or when facing a long layover. The units feature ergonomically designed seats that convert into beds, complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi, air conditioning and air purifiers, power sockets, luggage storage and flight status screens.

Plastic-free flights

Companies are becoming creative in order to help reduce the amount of plastic they use, introducing alternatives such as bamboo straws, paper grocery bags and reusable water bottles. At the end of 2018, the world witnessed the first ‘plastic-free’ flight when Portuguese airline Hi Flyer replaced plastic cutlery and containers with bamboo and compostable alternatives made from recycled materials.