Forget the bellhop. Meet the luggage robot.
It's the first of several high-tech, sleek amenities guests encounter at the Yotel, a new US hotel that aims to provide a trendy stay at an affordable price.
Purple lighting, throbbing music in the elevators and futon-like lounges that transform to lie-flat beds at the touch of a button help set the mood. Or maybe they just distract you from the tiny size of the rooms. At 16 square metres, perhaps "room" is too generous of a term. Yotel, in New York, prefers to call them cabins.
Worried about oversleeping? Pick up the phone, press a few buttons and listen to a computer voice prompt you to "press 1 to accept wake-up call". Instead of room service, prepared food is available from the concierge desk, dubbed Mission Control, which also sells hotel souvenirs like metallic Yotel water bottles.
But the real heart of the hotel is the action-packed terrace, already fast on its way to becoming a hot outdoor bar. The varied tapas-style menu of small plates is tasty but the tab can quickly add up. It would be a shame for a meal and drinks there to cost more than the room upstairs. That said, the beef sliders ($US9 ($A8)) and crunchy shrimp dish ($US8 ($A7)) should not be missed. The Spicy Pepino Margarita was also well worth the $US13 ($A12) price tag.
My room went for an introductory rate of $US149 ($A143), or $US179.47 ($A171.77) with tax. After August, Yotel is looking to offer rooms with a base rate in the $US200 ($A191) to $US250 ($A239) range. More expensive suites have hot tubs and rotating beds straight out of an Austin Powers movie. They go for $US1000 ($A957) or more a night.
The Yotel throws in free Wi-Fi, domestic phone calls, morning yoga, and muffins and coffee for breakfast. For the really budget-conscious, each floor has a communal kitchen area with a sink and microwave.
New York has the highest average room rate in the country: $US236 ($A226) a night in April, according to research firm STR. The next closest city was Miami, $US65 ($A62) a night cheaper on average.
On the same night that I slept at the Yotel, across town the Pod Hotel was offering a room with a double bed and private bathroom for $US229 ($A219). The La Quinta Manhattan and Ramada Eastside both had rooms with a queen bed for $US195 ($A187) plus tax. And a private room at the Times Square Hostel with a shared bathroom was $US55 ($A53) per person, based on two people. The Four Seasons wanted $US795 ($A761) a night.
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