Autonomous Travel Suite by Aprilli. — Courtesy of Aprilli

NEW YORK,  Nov 25 — Is it a mobile home? A souped-up driverless car? No, it’s an "autonomous” travel suite that is being pitched as the future of hospitality.

Recently awarded the top honour at the Radical Innovation Award 2018 in New York, which highlights "big ideas” in hospitality, the Autonomous Travel Suite uses driverless technology as a basis for a mobile hotel suite.

Like a mobile home, the conceptual suite features amenities for sleeping, working, washing, storage and lounging.

The pitch? To allow travellers — be it business or leisure travellers — to use their travel time more productively and efficiently, says Aprilli.

Autonomous Travel Suite from Aprilli on Vimeo.

But that’s where the comparison to an RV ends. Because the compact mobile suite can then be parked or docked at a local "Autonomous Hotel” where it becomes part of a fixed hotel unit.

The concept is aimed particularly at domestic road travel in the US, where most of the major cities are located within a 10-hours driving distance at most.

And given that short-haul flights of one to two hours can easily be lengthened to five to six after factoring in airport travel times, check-in, and airport security waits, designers are banking on the Autonomous Travel Suite to make more sense, especially for business travellers. — AFP Relaxnews