What’s the true vision behind YOTEL? Why has it embraced such a distinct hospitality approach? And why go the high-tech route? Here you will find the answers.

　　YOTEL has been one of the biggest attractions in New York City since opening in 2011. Outfitted with a technological futuristic design, the hotel sets itself apart from many of its competitors by offering a unique and hi-tech experience for tourists from its eye-catching purple lighting to its robotic luggage handler. Located at the heart of Manhattan—Times Square to be exact—the establishment remains one of the biggest attractions in the city that never sleeps, while garnering mass appeal across the globe at its two other hot spots: Amsterdam and the United Kingdom. But since its introduction, everyone’s developed a curiosity over the ultramodern hotel’s conception.

　　So what’s the true vision behind YOTEL? Why has it embraced such a distinct hospitality approach? And why go the high-tech route? CEO Gerard Greene took some time out of his hectic schedule to discuss his creation in full.

　　Does the name YOTEL mean anything?

　　YOTEL was partially founded by Simon Woodroffe, the founder of all things YO! He liked the phrase “YO” as a form of greeting – he had an employee who often greeted people this way, a very un-British style, which he thought captured the informal and casual nature of the next generation of consumers and so he began what has become a series of YO businesses: including YO! Sushi, the restaurant group. Culminating in the launch of the YOTEL brand.

　　Where did the idea for YOTEL come from?

　　YOTEL was inspired by airline travel. Once when Simon was upgraded unexpectedly on a British Airways flight he looked around, realized how you could use amazing design in a small space. and still keep it luxurious, smartly designed and functional. That’s why YOTEL has modular, modern design—everything you need is readily available with the push of a button and hidden away when you don’t need it. The entire hotel employs economy of space without sacrificing on comfort and convenience—exactly the same way a first class airline cabin does.

　　Why is the hotel in the color purple?

　　Honestly, partly because we just liked it, but also because purple is made up of the calmness of blue and the energy of red, suiting the brand perfectly, we had a great first reaction to the use of purple even in the original prototype design. Guests do feel that it has a calming influence, especially in the airports where they want to feel like they are walking into their own private oasis of calm in amongst the airport hubbub, Other have likened it to a zen-like “Star Trek” experience.

　　Can you talk about the Asian influence on the design of YOTEL?

　　I love the transforming nature of Japanese/Asian design; they utilize their spaces in many different ways making them flexible, but still practical at the same time. We have designed all our public spaces to fit that theme, our restaurant ‘Dohyo’ (named after a Japanese sumo wrestling ring – and is exactly the same size) has hydraulic moving tables so that after a communal dining experience it can be transformed into a performance area or art space. Our cabin design combines the use of contemporary materials with natural materials such as oak and the bed converts from a couch so that you can sit and watch TV and create more space for lounging or working. The overall YOTEL experience is sleek, modern, convenient, but also irreverent and fun.