Robotics and space-saving architecture start-up Ori is collaborating with Marriott International to develop disappearing beds for hotels rooms. Jenny Southan reports
Wouldn’t it be cool to check into a hotel room where the bed rises up into the ceiling to reveal a workstation, sofa or dining table – all at the touch of a button, sound of your voice or swipe on your phone?
Soon this could become reality because Marriott’s Design Lab is exploring ways to reimagine the hotel room of tomorrow by integrating Brooklyn-based Ori products and technology that give guests the ability to transform interiors electronically.
The first large hospitality partnership for Ori, the tie-up sets a trend for designing transformable interiors, something that Dutch brand Zoku has been pioneering (albeit in a more analogue fashion) for some years. Virgin Voyages also features rooms with Seabeds that can be converted into a couch for after-parties.
Ori says it is on a mission to “help people live large in a small footprint”. In doing so it seeks to combine engineering, technology and design expertise to develop “transformable” furniture and provide more flexible, multi-functional interiors.
“All it takes is the touch of a button, a tap on your phone or a voice command to see walls move, beds float and rooms slide in and out of the scene, effortlessly responding to the rhythm and flow of modern life,” says Ori.
The robotics company unveiled three transformable concepts at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. These include the Cloud Bed, Sofa Edition, Cloud Bed, Table Edition and Pocket Closet, all of which allow rooms to be expanded and reconfigured in imaginative ways.
Hasier Larrea, founder and CEO of Ori, tells Globetrender: “Whereas most hotel rooms are inflexible and dominated by the bed, the design concept that we worked on with Marriott uses Ori technology to create much more flexibility.
“The design truly produces two rooms out of one, a bedroom that can be transformed into a space to relax, a meeting space, a remote office, and so much more. Modern travelers are looking for their hotel rooms to adapt to their needs and their lives, so we expect the industry to adopt solutions like Ori that deliver this superior experience.”