When it comes to untapped financial markets, one must look at hotel transportation packages and tours now that fully electric autonomous vehicles are on the horizon. There are several luxury hotels out there that offer bespoke cruises to captivating destinations as part of a travel package, and it’s only a matter of time until new alliances are forged between said hotels and various luxury car brands.
In terms of transportation, they offer services such as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train, which you can ride from France all the way to Venice, Italy.
Could you do something similar today, but with an automobile? Well, yes, probably, but it most certainly wouldn’t be fully autonomous – and I’m guessing you wouldn’t want a driver alongside you and your wife in your “hotel room”.
In other words, it’ll be a while until we see something like this Mercedes x Belmond concept come to life. For now, it exists only as the brainchild of one Arya Kani, who created it as part of a master’s thesis project at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. He believes that his so-called Hotel on Wheels can combine the accessibility of passenger cars with the convenience of a hotel room, thus creating a seamless travel experience for people that don’t require being on the road for too long (few hours and up to 3 days).
This hypothetical vehicle is fitted with level 5 autonomy and comes with swappable battery packs, flatbed seats, dedicated areas for rest/work, mobile “room service” deliveries, plus the integration of micro-mobility within the main vehicle.
In terms of exterior design, the artist wanted to create something that looked unique yet also served a clear purpose.
“I wanted the graphics such as the grille to look futuristic, neutral, yet follow the heritage of the Mercedes-Benz look. For this, I designed the fascia and stretched the C-pillar in contrast to the almost-upright A-pillar. On the side panel flap, I wanted to showcase the removable panel for battery-swap pack and an outlet for micro mobility integration, hence the black graphic on the bottom of the vehicle.”
Photo: Arya Kani
As for the interior, you’ve got a zone dedicated to seating and sleeping, and then a second one just for seating-only activities such as dining. Highlights include ambient lighting, a lookout bar, and a glass ceiling (which can turn opaque for increased privacy). Speaking of privacy, the Mercedes x Belmond concept features an intentionally high beltline, which is clever for obvious reasons.
Is this much of a hotel room?
Well, let’s say this was a real vehicle and not a design exercise. It’s not hard to picture such an eventuality. However, to me this feels like more of an extension of a hotel room, rather than a substitute, which to be fair is what the designer intended – they didn’t mean to suggest you could spend your entire vacation in one of these hypothetical Mercs, but rather that you could use them to get around specific destinations while away from the Belmond.
Where could such a vehicle take me?
Anywhere that’s not too far away from an actual brick-and-mortar Belmond location, and there’s plenty to choose from. They have 12 hotels in Europe across Italy, Spain, Portugal and the UK, five in North America, seven in South America across Brazil and Peru, another five in Asia (including in Indonesia and Thailand), and four in Africa.
You have several sleeper trains, day trains and river boats at your disposal, and some of those routes are indeed automobile accessible, especially across Europe, the U.S., and other countries such as Brazil (Belmond Copacabana Palace in Rio) or South Africa (Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town).
Let’s picture some of the tech
If the Mercedes x Belmond concept was real, it would probably ride on the same EVA platform as the EQS sedan and EQS SUV, featuring a dual-motor all-wheel drive setup. The power output wouldn’t be that crucial, so I think that whatever you get in the EQS 450 4MATIC should be enough, meaning 355 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque.
Photo: Arya Kani
You also wouldn’t care how quickly this type of vehicle got to 60 mph – in fact, you’d most certainly rather it took its time seeing as how it’s supposed to be fully autonomous. But therein lies the problem, because according to most experts, the car industry will not develop a fully self-driving vehicle (meaning you being able to legally fall asleep at the wheel) until 2035, and even that might be an optimistic outlook, or at least contingent on location.
That said, Level 5 autonomous technology aside, I don’t see why such a vehicle couldn’t exist today. We have everything else we need to build it. All that’s left is an actual collaboration between a massive hotel chain and a luxury carmaker.
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