A new hotel in Streeterville is pushing the boundaries on tech in the hospitality industry by allowing guests to use destination elevators, talk to Amazon’s Alexa and interact with robots.
Hotel EMC2, designed by Scott Greenberg, the president of SMASHotels and developer of The Wit hotel in the Loop, opened at the end of May at 228 E. Ontario St.
The hotel, part of Marroitt’s Autograph Collection, has 21 stories and 195 rooms. According to hotel representatives, room rates begin at $249. The modern interior is trimmed in rose gold and decorated with more than 12,000 old, leather-bound books. Greenberg says he designed the hotel with the idea of combining science, art and technology.
“Our culture is moving in a place where to stay relevant, you have to constantly be innovating. You can’t stop,” Greenberg said. “I wanted to create a place that honors that energy.”
From the lobby to the restaurant and hallways, guests can find original artwork from Chicago-based artists, science-based artifacts and tech-enabled items scattered around the hotel.
Hotel EMC2 houses a restaurant, the Albert, which offers contemporary American cuisine. Additionally, there are two meeting spaces and a patio within the hotel.
“The décor is serious. The food is serious. There’s some serious science and décor on the wall. But it’s done with some playfulness,” Greenberg said.
Chicago Inno visited Hotel EMC2 this week to explore its unusual and futuristic offerings. Here’s some of the coolest and innovative items within:
Amazon Dot: Every room is equipped with an Amazon Dot, giving guests the ability to talk to Alexa. They can ask her to contact hotel staff, and order personal items or food. The Dots at EMC2 are programmed with more than 200 unique phrases associated with the hotel, representatives said.
Robots: EMC2 is home to two robots, Cleo and Leo. Their purpose is to bring guests towels, dental kits and other small items. They have a touch-screen that allows you to interact with them, and when you give them a five-star rating, they do a little dance. When they’re done serving you, they head back to elevator. They’re smart enough to take it by themselves.
Destination Dispatch Elevators: You’re used to pressing an up or down arrow when calling an elevator, and then selecting your designated floor once you get on. But destination dispatch elevators simplifiy this process for passengers. The ones in Hotel EMC2 have riders choose their floor before they even get on as a way to direct passengers to the elevator that will get them to their destination in the shortest amount of time. By grouping people together based on the floor they are traveling to, the number of stops is reduced, cutting down on the building's elevator traffic. But if you accidently select the wrong floor, you’re going for a ride.
Smart TVs: When you think of a smart TV, you might just think of a television that contains Netflix and HBO apps. But the smart TVs in Hotel EMC2 allow users to do much more. With one in each room, guests can order towels, pillows or a toothbrush using it. They can also order food and drinks to their room. And if you’re in bed and realize you’d like the room temperature to be cooler, you can use the TV remote to change it, all while never leaving bed.
