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Smart Cities Ready for Take Off

The hyper-urban future is here, and intelligent technology is re-making cities worldwide. But how will Smart Cities impact the business travel experience?

TEXT: Gary Bowerman

Worldwide, cities are growing. They were home to 55% of the global population in 2018, but that proportion could rise to 68% by 2050 according to the UN Department of Economic & Social Affairs. Meanwhile, urban tourism is increasing, and cities will be the focal point for a predicted 1.8 billion visitor arrivals in 2030, up from 1.4 billion in 2018, says the UNWTO.

“Worldwide mass transportation has doubled in the last 10 years in some regions, which makes traveling more and more complicated on an individual level,” says Matthias Horx, Founder of the Vienna-based Zukunftsinstitut (Future Institute). “For example, try to get from a big airport to a big city in rush hour in October.”

Rethinking urbanization has led cities from Copenhagen to Dubai and Shanghai to Washington DC to build integrated ecosystems that leverage the vast information flows they generate. Combining 5G connectivity, sensors, facial recognition and intelligent architecture to map the collective intelligence of a city could provide better transport management and service planning while guiding, informing, protecting and entertaining business travelers along every touchpoint of the journey.

Cape Town has been seeking to achieve this since launching its Responsible Tourism strategy in 2009:

“Smart Cities speak to the principles of responsible tourism, and we are finalizing the 2019–2023 Tourism Development Framework to incorporate Smart Living in tourism,” says Theuns Vivian, Head of Destination Development for Cape Town. “The expansion of our tourism infrastructure since the 2010 World Cup has driven steady growth for the hospitality sector, and an increase in flight routes has delivered 1.5 million new airline seats in the last two years. Development of an Aerotropolis in the next 10 years also indicates the influence of business and tourism on city planning.”

More effectively charting a city’s data assets would provide tools for travel providers to customize their services, such as preparing mood-enhancing amenities for late-arriving guests, creating impromptu tours and itineraries, and automatically reconfiguring check-out times for travelers whose departure is rescheduled.

Smartening up Business Travel

The benefits for business travelers are aligned to a holistic blueprint of Smart Cities as multi-functional destinations.

“Different groups in a city, such as tourists, business travelers and locals, are in competition with each other. They want different things. The challenge is to coordinate their unique needs and create clear decisions that benefit everyone,” says Matthias Horx.

Most Smart Cities are at a nascent stage, and the power of technology is only being partially tapped.

More effectively charting a city’s data assets would provide tools for travel providers to customize their services, such as preparing mood-enhancing amenities for late-arriving guests, creating impromptu tours and itineraries, and automatically reconfiguring check-out times for travelers whose departure is rescheduled.

Smart Cities May Enhance Business Travel in Three Key Areas

1. Transport
Making public mobility more predictable. Real-time integration between road, railway, subway and airport data will make travelers better informed, and enable travel managers to easily track client movements. These innovations will grow in importance as on-demand transport technology develops.

• French rail operator SNCF plans to introduce autonomous trains in 2025 to enable 24-hour services.
• China is testing trackless trams.
• Drone taxis are being trialed by Boeing in the US, Audi and Airbus in Germany and Ehang in China.

2. Services
Engaging city users to stimulate new itineraries. Managing people flows to alleviate overcrowding at tourism hotspots will be aligned with smart architecture to inspire transformative interactions.

• A new office tower in Esslingen, Germany, will feature a 3D-mirrored wall encouraging people to interact with the façade by scanning a QR code and learning information about the city.
• Cape Town is piloting several Smart Grid projects designed to enhance the environment for interactive tourism services.

3. Hotels
Rethinking automated service delivery. Mobile apps, robots and e-concierges are redefining guest stays, but hotels are often digitally removed from their city.

• The Singapore Hotels Association has produced a Smart Hotel Technology Guide outlining the benefits of intelligent innovations such as robotic automation, the Internet of Things and biometric recognition.
• The goal is to deliver seamless personalization in the room, across the hotel and while guests are exploring the city.

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