PARIS – Novotel and Microsoft have teamed up in Paris to create the ultimate techie hotel room. The room “3120” has been outfitted with the latest technology including a digital mirror and Xbox consoles. The prototype will only be available temporarily at the Novotel Vaugirard-Montparnasse location and visitors can book the room through February 14th.
Novotel is a chain of hotels present in 40 countries attracting a mix of family and business clients. This high tech room is the first collaboration with Microsoft since the partnership formed in 2008.
The project is only meant to last three months, but could be prolonged according to Marine Todesco, communications chief at Novotel’s parent group, Accor. “If this room fulfills expectations and if reservations are in demand, it could be prolonged,” she said.
The room is a techie dreamland. It has an Xbox Kinect for game lovers. The SENSORIT digital mirror allows guests to check news while checking their reflection. The Windows Phone 7 and the Nokia Lumia are also available, though they won’t be commercially available in France until the end of the year.
Todesco said that the Surface interactive table is among the most surprising feature. Guests can use it to browse the Web, play online games, or even use interactive maps to plan the next day’s adventures. “Its applications are basically unlimited,” she said.
The features are largely experimental in the hotel. “It’s important to note that the innovations in the rooms are pilot versions; some of them, if they are very successful with clients, could be deployed on a larger scale,” Todesco said.
The room “3120″ is available for 199 euros a night and is located in Paris’ 15th arrondissement, with a view of the Eiffel Tower. While details aren’t available yet, Todesco said that another Novotel-Microsoft project will be unveiled next year in a to-be-announced European capital.
