It wasn’t long ago that travellers were hard-pressed to find a spa at most hotels—even the luxury ones. Now, of course, it’s difficult not to. Since the pandemic, the same holds true for targeted health, wellness and fitness programs, as hotels are finding that a focus on well-being has become not only a top priority for guests, but an integral part of the way they want to travel going forward.
“We all had such a challenging 2020, and it really put life in perspective, enabling us to focus on ourselves as well as our bubble of close friends and family,” says Matt Turner, director of the Healing Arts Center at Northern California’s Cavallo Point. As a result, he adds, many hotels are now working to “provide travellers (with) experiences that enable them to focus on improving their mind, body and spirit, physically and emotionally.”
For Amanda Grant, chief wellness officer at Civana, a resort just outside Scottsdale, it’s the “emotional” part that’s key. “Consciously choosing travel that encourages healing is more important than ever,” she says. “In December 2020, the US Census found that 42 percent of people surveyed reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, up from 11 percent the year before. Our goal is for every traveller to check out with practical tools to live a happier and healthier life.”
What this means is that travellers no longer have to plan a trip to a destination spa with pre-set multi-day retreats (like a Miraval or a Canyon Ranch) to experience comprehensive programs that go beyond massages and facials. Instead, numerous luxury hotels and resorts are upping their game by introducing initiatives that were developed with the input of medical doctors and nurses, naturopaths, nutritionists, life coaches, psychological counsellors, spiritual healers and more. The resulting programs allow guests to drill down on issues from anxiety and insomnia to digestive issues and chronic fatigue. Best of all, because these are regular hotels and not retreats, any non-wellness-minded travel companions can still enjoy their days chilling by the pool or ordering another round at the bar.
To help ease you back into travel—and help with any lingering issues 2020 may have caused—here are seven new hotel-based wellness programs available from California to the Maldives.
Four Seasons Maui at Wailea
Those seeking to combine a medical-grade wellness program with a visit to paradise need look no further than the new Revitalized Health Optimization Program at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, which is presented in collaboration with Next|Health, a longevity centre founded by Darshan Shah, MD, to help people re-energize, de-stress and achieve longevity. The addition of Next|Health’s advanced offerings now allows us another tool to optimize our guests’ wellness,” says senior spa director Pat Makozak. “It’s the next level of treatments that guests are seeking in the evolution of wellness travel.”
Guests at the five-star resort can now enjoy Maui’s beautiful beaches while experiencing a comprehensive, customisable experience made up of services that focus on everything from prevention to anti-aging and restored vitality. Administered at the resort’s spaunder the supervision of a registered nurse, the bespoke offerings include a range of targeted IV therapy treatments, vitamin shots and biomarker testing. Also available are IV drips of the NAD coenzyme; said to help reverse the signs of aging at s cellular level, the NAD + IV sessions typically go for $1,500 a pop. As the treatments are a la carte, guests can leave plenty of time in their schedules for snorkelling, canoeing, scuba diving or simply relaxing.
Cavallo Point
Located just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, Cavallo Pointrecently partnered with Brad Jacobs, MD—an integrative medicine physician, Master of Public Health and founder of BlueWaveMedicine—to offer the new Six Pillars of Healthy Living program, which was designed specifically to help guests address the stress of the pandemic. Some of its goals include working to sharpen mental acuity, optimize sleep, jumpstart fitness and quiet the mind with immersions in nature.
The six pillars referenced in the program’s name are: active living; healthy eating; restorative sleep; stress reduction and awareness; connection; and passion, purpose and gratitude. Each individual session focuses on one of these pillars to guide guests towards finding an enhanced sense of purpose. Sample activities range from outdoor yoga, trail hikes, herbal consultations, hypnotherapy (for weight loss or tackling anxiety), custom sound baths, energy clearing, intuitive readings, Shamanic journeys and more. The services are available on an a la carte basis, so feel free to mix-and-match to explore a few different pillars.
Joali Being
Opening in September, the eagerly anticipated Joali Being is a sustainable luxury resort set on Bodufushi Island, a 40-minute journey by seaplane from the Maldives’ international airport. Once there, you’ll find 68 striking villas—half on the beach, half on the water, and many with private pools. To reflect its surrounding, the resort has been built using biophilic design principles, a method of incorporating nature into architecture and design
With well-being at its core—it’s being billed as the first “nature immersive well-being island” in the Maldives–Joali features a range of customized wellness experiences that celebrate nature. Highlighting four pillars–Mind, Skin, Microbiome and Energy–the wellness itineraries range from five nights to three weeks. After an integrative health assessment, the Wellness Immersion Programs are tailored to focus on such things as strength and vitality, mental clarity, hormonal balance, women’s health issues, digestive and weight rebalance, restorative sleep and movement and alignment. Offerings include detailed, medically supervised nutrition consultations, lifestyle assessments, and fitness and alignment analysis—plus spa treatments powered by natural ingredients.
Cal-A-Vie
San Diego’s legendary Cal-A-Vie, a Mediterranean-style resort and spa, was designed by Francophile owners John and Terri Havens to transport guests to the South of France. The Havens even deconstructed a 400-year-old French chapel and shipped it to SoCal, where it was resurrected as a serene meditation space overlooking the tranquil Cal-A-Vie vineyards, from which the Havens’ produce their own wine.
While the resort has always offered a robust selection of fitness, nutrition, spa and mind-body services, it has created the Renew and Refresh Mind & Body program (launching in August) “to empower guests to take R&R to a whole new level.” The program’s stated goals are to help relieve stress and anxiety, spur weight loss, help guests overcome sleep issues and nurture a positive mindset.
It aims to do all this via new mind-body offerings such as Ayurvedic yoga, meditation with essential oils, sound healing, mind-strengthening workshops and a range of nature-immersive fitness activities. Guests get a personal consult to help them select the best offerings for their needs, and to help the team create a personalized program. Nutritional consults—including a diagnostic bloodwork analysis done by a registered nurse—are also available.
Royal Mansour
Though not far from Marrakech’s vibrant Jemaa El Fna square, the Royal Mansour feels a world away, with its lush gardens and private riads. Known for its stunning, bird-cage-like spa, the luxe hotel is this September launching wellness retreats geared toward personal transformation, with the goal of helping guests to leave stress and anxiety behind and attain balance and well-being.
Available in three-, five-, seven- or 14-day versions, the programs are targeted towards four main results: rebalance, weight control, rejuvenation and immunity boost. Each program is customizable and holistic, and includes accommodations, daily treatments, a personal nutrition plan and a range of mind-body activities and curated workshops; private plant-based cooking classes at restaurants helmed by Michelin-starred chefs are also available. Along with these new programs, the also now houses three additional acres for its Atelier d’Artiste, a greenhouse where art therapy workshops–including painting, modelling, pottery, and calligraphy—begin with guided meditation.
Photo: Courtesy Tschuggen Hotels
Tschuggen Hotels
Set in some of the most scenic spots in Switzerland, from the ski trails of St. Moritz to the shores of Lake Maggiore, the Tschuggen Hotel Group’s four properties in Switzerland include Hotel Eden Roc, Carlton Hotel St. Moritz, Tschuggen Grand and Valsana. This summer, all four spots have rolled out the brand’s new Moving Mountains wellness program to help guests jumpstart a new wellness lifestyle.
Created by Dr. Götz Bechtolsheimer, one of the owners of Tschuggen Hotel Group, and inspired by the mountains that surround the hotel, the program focuses on five main pillars, each helmed by a different expert. “Nourish” is overseen by London-based nutritionist Rhaya Jordan, who worked with the Tschuggen’s Michelin-starred chefs to create new plant-based menus that highlight nutrient-dense ingredients that help reduce inflammation and boost the immune system. “Rest” is a collaboration with Hofklinik, a top sleep centre in Switzerland, and features guided experiences that enhance our quality of sleep.
“Play” includes a range of curated adventures and empowering expeditions designed to challenge guests physically and mentally, from forest bathing to paragliding. “Move”, helmed by personal trainers Matt Gleed and Alida O’Connor, focuses on functional fitness and yoga offerings, along with sports programs taking place up in the mountains. And “Give” supports expanded consciousness by connecting guests with local artists and raising awareness of issues like climate change. Guests can tailor their stays at any of the hotels around one or more of these pillars, based on their needs and interests.
Photo : Courtesy Civana
Civana
An early adopter of the haute motel trend, Civana, an award-winning resort in Carefree, Ariz., recently teamed up with Dr. Deepak Chopra’s Chopra Global to develop immersive Whole Health Retreats, a program of five-night, physician-helmed Ayurvedic retreats designed to help guests start on a path to healthy living. The itineraries incorporate one-on-one sessions with an Ayurvedic doctor, daily yoga and meditation, educational workshops and chef-created plant-based meals, as well as a multi-step cleanse to help aid in the elimination of toxins. Civana will host the Chopra retreats twice a mo
In this age of digital supremacy, it’s reassuring to know the pen is alive and well. And nowhere is it thriving quite like it is in Bassano del Grappa, a picturesque medieval village in Veneto, Italy, that has been home to Montegrappa, the country’s oldest pen company, since 1912. The firm specialises in rollerball and fountain pens for the discerning, and its products are still made in its original factory on the banks of the Brenta River.
Notable actors, athletes, musicians and even popes have used its wares, but the seed for one of Montegrappa’s most significant endorsements came when a then-unpublished author encountered the brand in 1918. Ernest Hemingway, just 19 years old at the time, was serving as a volunteer ambulance driver for the American Red Cross when he was assigned to a station 100 m from the factory. The robust Elmo model, still produced by Montegrappa today, became his writing instrument of choice.
More than a century later, Montegrappa pens remain renowned for their design and are still largely crafted by hand according to the company’s old-world manufacturing process. And while you can order a model off the shelf, varying levels of customisation are also available. Through the Extra Custom program, you can commission a uniquely hand-painted or burin-engraved style made from sterling silver or yellow, rose, or white gold and have the barrel decorated with an image or motif you select. Such pieces can require several weeks to complete, and prices range from around $2,400 to as high as $67,000—all to create a pen that’s a story in itself.
Each pen requires at least 36 individually handcrafted components—some considerable, others tiny and delicate.
As perhaps the most visible component, the pen clip is hand-polished to a mirror-like shine. You can opt to have it set with a small cubic zirconia, as with this sterling-silver example.
Mammoth ivory, ethically recovered from Siberian permafrost, is carefully machine-turned to create the cap. The company also offers celluloid for its caps and barrels, as well as exotic woods, marble, carbon fibre, various metal alloys and a house-made resin called Montegrappite.
The cap band is machine-engraved with the company logo. The process also allows for the back of the band to be similarly etched with your initials in a selection of three fonts.
A burin is used to inscribe a “leaves and scrolls” pattern on the pen’s barrel. The intricate technique can also be used to reproduce photographs or works of art.
Montegrappa uses ebonite, a vulcanised rubber, to make its feeds, which connect a pen’s nib to its reservoir. The material is more porous than hard plastic, allowing for better ink flow. A craftsman precisely cuts the feed’s fins to ensure the best performance.
These days, it takes more than the finest linens and a Michelin-starred restaurant to take the No. 1 spot on a list of the world’s 50 best hotels, which Hotel Passalacqua did in 2023. The spa is stellar, to be sure, as is the pool house, which was decorated in collaboration with J. J. Martin of La Double J. But to fully embrace the villeggiatura and sense of place, even the tiniest details matter. Case in point: the hotel’s signature brass-fish bottle opener (there are also key chains), which will mentally transport you back to Lake Como every time you reach for a cold one.
Le Sirenuse, Positano
The red cliff-top hotel with sweeping views needs little introduction. Its owners, the Sersale family, were early to embrace the branding potential of the beloved property by launching an on-site boutique, Emporio Sirenuse, in 1993. These days, you can find Le Sirenuse’s clothing and swimwear everywhere from Net-a-Porter to Harrod’s, but nothing matches shopping the collection in person. If there’s only room in the suitcase for one thing, snag the brand’s riff on
the Hawaiian shirt in vacation-ready stripes.
Borgo Santo Pietro, Palazzetto
At Borgo Santo Pietro in Tuscany, the focus is on the serene landscape. (The spot was once a healing rest stop for medieval pilgrims.) Naturally, there’s an emphasis on farm-to-table cuisine, but more interesting might be the farm-to-spa treatments. Made in-house, the renowned Seed to Skin range draws on local remedies dating back to at least 1129; expect natural ingredients such as butterfat, thermal water, and raw honey. Grab the award-winning Eye Rescue Duo, a secret weapon for maintaining your post-vacation glow.
Palazzo Avino, Ravello
A once-private villa built in the 12th century, Palazzo Avino is one of the Amalfi Coast’s most celebrated hotels. When a former art gallery adjacent to Ravello’s beloved “pink palace” came up for sale, hotelier Mariella Avino and her sister Attilia made an offer. Mariella envisioned the new space, now dubbed the Pink Closet, as a spot to promote homegrown talent, partnering with the Camera Nazionale della Moda in order to provide a platform for emerging designers. We like the colorful, locally made ceramics—perfect for alfresco entertaining.
Bugatti’s hybrid Tourbillon is the most powerful model in the marque’s history. And the coolest bit? An instrument cluster inspired by the finest Swiss horology.
By 30/10/2024
First there was Veyron. Then came Chiron. Now Tourbillon. Bugatti’s new 1,800 hp (1,342 kW) hypercar delivers even more shock-and-awe than its predecessors. Gone is the famed 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 engine. In its place is a new 1,000 hp (746 kW), 8.3-litre naturally aspirated V16 paired with a trio of electric motors delivering 800 hp (597 kW). That combination makes this the most powerful Bugatti ever.
While the design of the all-carbon-composite body is clearly derived from the signature lines of both the Veyron and Chiron, its roofline is lower, the body lighter and more aerodynamic, and that iconic horseshoe grille more imposing. Yet the likely headline feature will be the car’s all-new interior featuring a skeletonised, titanium-and-sapphire-glass instrument cluster inspired by Swiss watchmaking (for the uninitiated—“tourbillon” refers to the mechanical complication that increases accuracy in high-end timepieces).
“Beauty, performance, and luxury formed the blueprint for the Tourbillon. What we have created is a car that is more elegant, more emotive and more luxurious than anything before it,” stated Mate Rimac, Bugatti Rimac’s CEO, to Robb Report during an exclusive preview at the company’s newly opened design studio in Berlin.
He explained that, four years ago, when the Tourbillon concept was on the drawing board, there were multiple suggestions for what an all-new Bugatti might look like. Options included an SUV, a coupe-like crossover and a luxury four-door sedan. Then there was the choice of either a hybrid or all-electric power train. “The proposal to make it electric was the obvious choice. We had our [Rimac] Nevera, that we could easily transfer our technology and re-skin the body. But I felt it was wrong for Bugatti,” said Rimac. “I wanted a successor to the Veyron and Chiron, a true hypercar with a combustion engine. Our customers agreed.”
To create it, Rimac teamed with Cosworth, a renowned British engine builder, to help develop the naturally aspirated V16 mill. Designed to rev to 9,000 rpm, the engine offers a similar output as the original Veyron’s quad-turbocharged W16. To heighten the performance, Rimac and his team used their proven expertise in electric propulsion to pair the V16 with twin electric motors driving the front wheels, with a third at the rear. For battery power, a 25 kWh, oil-cooled 800-volt pack is integrated into the chassis and located behind the passengers. It’s powerful enough to give the Tourbillon a usable electric-only range of around 60 km.
As you would expect, the Tourbillon has been developed to be blisteringly fast. According to Emilio Scervo, Bugatti’s chief technical officer, early prototype tests suggest a rate of acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in 2.0 seconds, zero to 200 km/h in 5.0 seconds, and zero to 300 km/h in 10.0 seconds. Flat out, the max-speed target is 445 km/h, though with a speedometer that reads up to 550 km/h, we expect there’s more to come. “For us, it was important that the car retained the pure and raw analogue feel of a naturally aspirated combustion engine, while pairing it with the agility and ability provided by electric motors,” said Scervo.
The engine itself sits low in the Tourbillon’s new, super-stiff body structure, which is formed using next-generation T800 carbon composites. It features a forged-aluminium, multi-link suspension—front and rear—that replaces the previous double-wishbone steel setup used in the Chiron. The 3-D-printed aluminium suspension arms and uprights, and AI-developed, 3-D-printed hollow airfoil arm at the rear, are nothing less than pieces of art.
For the exterior lines, Frank Heyl, Bugatti’s director of design, explained that styling influences came from three landmark Bugattis of old: the Type 35 racer of the 1920s, the long Type 41 Royale built from 1927 through 1933, and the storied Type 57SC Atlantic from the 1930s. “The design focus was on Bugatti’s iconic horseshoe grille. It’s significantly wider and lower than in the Chiron, and it’s from which all lines of the car originate. It defines the car,” said Heyl, who added that another signature element is “the new central windshield wiper, which continues the line that starts on the hood and flows back along the roof. Just like on the Atlantic.” Set back from the grille are twin rows of wafer-thin LED lights. Between them is a narrow panel on the hood that raises up to reveal a “frunk” big enough for a set of custom-designed luggage.
In profile, the sweeping “Bugatti line” around the doors—a defining feature of both the Veyron and Chiron—looks even more striking with the car’s lowered roofline. At the rear, huge exhausts, a Le Mans–style carbon-fibre diffuser (twice the size of that on the Chiron), and a rolling wave of LED lights featuring illuminated “Bugatti” lettering, add to the visual drama. And to allow onlookers to gaze at that V16 power plant—and for cooling purposes—the engine sits open to the elements.
Upon opening the dihedral “scissor” doors and entering the cockpit, you’re presented with arguably the new Tourbillon’s most dramatic feature; a skeletonised instrument cluster inspired by the art of Swiss watchmaking. Made up of more than 600 components, it’s constructed from titanium with sapphire-glass faces and detailing that incorporates rubies.
The three-dial cluster is fixed in place, with the twin spokes of the flat-bottom steering wheel rotating around it. The unit is constructed, in-house, to remarkable horological tolerances of 50 microns—the average cross-section of a human hair. The entire cluster weighs just 709 g. Cascading down from the middle of the fascia is the centre console featuring crystal glass that’s formed over 13 separate stages to ensure strength and clarity. The aluminium elements are anodised and milled from a single block.
To add a little theatre to firing-up that big V16, there’s a prominent center-console aluminium knob that you pull to start, and push to turn off. It’s another nod to Bugatti models of yesteryear. What you won’t see, however, are any touchscreens. Heyl believes that the primary element that dates a car is an oversized screen. “What was state-of-the-art 10 years ago, is now ugly,” said Heyl. “The Tourbillon is designed to be timeless.”
In Bugatti tradition, the Tourbillon will also be highly exclusive. Only 250 examples are planned, each starting at around $6.3 million. The first customer cars are scheduled to be built at Bugatti’s atelier in Molsheim, France, starting in 2026.
“Yes, it is crazy to build a new V16 engine, to integrate it with a new battery pack and electric motors, and to have 3-D-printed suspension parts and a real Swiss watchmaker instrument cluster,” noted Rimac. “But it is what Ettore Bugatti would have done.”
Tucked away in a corner of the Dubai International Financial Centre, near the Ritz-Carlton, is Perpétuel Gallery, an unassuming 1,200 m² boutique displaying some of the world’s most important independent watchmaking. During Dubai Watch Week—a biannual event run by the Seddiqi family, the most prominent watch retailers in the UAE—the shop, just a few minutes’ walk from the fair in the DIFC, held its own exhibition that was filled to the brim with the watchmakers themselves, from Roger W. Smith to Simon Brette to Rémi Maillat of Krayon. There, holding court, was Hamdan Bin Humaid Al Hudaidi, a distinguished collector who founded Perpétuel in 2021, in the middle of the Covid pandemic.
“I never thought I would take my passion professionally, ever,” he tells Robb Report. “Everyone was against the idea because they were very certain this would fail.” How wrong they were. Instead, Perpétuel has become one of the most significant global players in connecting and brokering deals between collectors and their indie idols. As a serious client himself, Al Hudaidi has unique relationships that allow him to create limited editions exclusive to the gallery—quite a feat when you consider the waiting lists for some of the watchmakers in question are a decade or more long. A recent collaboration of 15 limited-edition Krayon Anywhere watches with desert-orange accents sold out to clients—not just in the Middle East, but also in Australia, the US and South Africa.
It’s proof positive of the area’s booming and influential watch scene. Many credit Dubai Watch Week—and by extension the Seddiqi family—for the fervent local interest in watch collecting. When the event launched in 2015, it was small, hosting just 15 brands, mostly independents. “It was really a project to give back to the industry,” says Hind Abdul Hamied Seddiqi, director general of the event and CMO and communications officer for Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, “but also to educate the general public that the watch industry is not as intimidating as you think.” It’s a strategy that has paid off. Last year’s edition ballooned to 60 brands, including big-name players such as Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Van Cleef & Arpels, along with nearly 24,000 attendees, the largest crowd to date.
Despite the draw, the five-day-long public event has an easygoing appeal that other watch fairs often lack. One can spot Philippe Dufour perched outside a pavilion smoking a pipe, Kari Voutilainen enjoying an alfresco lunch, or Rexhep Rexhepi in line for an espresso. It’s an exceedingly rare chance for collectors to mingle with the masters in a relaxed space where everyone is in a jovial mood thanks to the casual atmosphere and balmy weather—and Seddiqi plans to keep it that way. “I worry if we go bigger, we’ll lose this feeling of intimacy,” she says. “I have a lot of people asking me to commercialise the show, but it’s just going to ruin the whole vibe.”
The explosion of interest isn’t just for new timepieces: vintage is also having its moment. Historically, the Middle East hasn’t been receptive to “used” goods, but recent years have reflected a shift in perspective. Tariq Malik, cofounder and managing partner of Momentum, also located in the DIFC, just a three-minute walk from Perpétuel, was an early pioneer in the area when he opened shop in 2011. In the beginning, he says, it would be common for someone to look at his wares and ask if he was selling “used” watches. “I said, ‘It’s vintage,’ and they said, ‘Oh, wow.’ When I would say ‘vintage’ they would start pulling out their camera and taking photos. We brought vintage to Dubai, so it was a new thing.” He’s now sought-after by clients both in the UAE and internationally for his allotment of rare Rolexes, with a specialisation in Day-Dates and hard-to-find Stella and stone dials.
Al Hudaidi also dabbles in vintage, predominantly ultra-rare Pateks—one might walk into Perpétuel and find him casually pulling a full-set Ref. 2499 third series from a coffee-table drawer. Naturally, that watch has sold along with two other full-set 2499s, but a unique Patek Philippe Ref. 1491J chronograph from the ’40s is still up for grabs (at press time, anyway). It was made by the Stern family for Jimmy Powers, an American boxing commentator during the era.
“I got goosebumps when I heard his voice on YouTube,” says Al Hudaidi. “I was like, ‘Oh, my God—that timepiece was his. And his name is engraved on the back!”
Within a decade, private-jet cabins could make even today’s cutting-edge interiors seem ancient by comparison. From digital skylights and smart seats to eye-tracking functionality and immersive soundscapes, the array of innovative amenities could transform even the longest flights into time well spent. Here, six areas in which technology will take the onboard experience to new heights.
Screen Time
Within three to five years, some private jets may have select windows replaced with curved, high-definition 4K OLED displays connected to live video feeds from the aircraft’s exterior. Imagine a cabin ceiling that morphs into a conservatory with a spectacular view of the moon, or full-height windows that present the landscape below with incredible fidelity. Information overlays are easy additions, but consider that these built-in visual portals could also double as insane gaming screens.
Seat Change
E-textiles will transform the next generation of jet seats into intuitive in-flight spa recliners. Sensors within the fabric will note your size, weight, pressure distribution, and body temperature, then rely on their A.I.-driven processors to, say, heat the seat before you realise you’re chilly or massage that kink in your back without being asked. Powering themselves by converting body heat into electricity, the chairs might also know to widen and recline when you nod off.
Seeing the Light
Chronobiological lighting to mitigate jet lag will comprise organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels, capable of creating 16.3 million different light combinations, to reset a passenger’s internal clock as they traverse time zones. Eventually, such panels will migrate from light fixtures to smart fabric on the ceiling, resulting in more diffuse illumination that allows for near-infinite options across the colour spectrum.
And there are many other applications. For example, OLED displays, as wide as a piece of paper, can be used to digitally transform the entire wall of the cabin’s colour, texture or scene. It is called projection mapping, and it will make changing the wall color from hot pink to a textured crocodile leather as easy as changing your computer screen saver. As Ingo Wuggetzer, vice president of cabin marketing for Airbus, explains, light literally creates spaces, giving cabin designers a highly versatile and easily customisable digital canvas.
Higher Management
The ability to access basic audio or video from your smartphone is here, but imagine faster, streamlined connectivity that lets you manage video conferencing, heating, mood lighting, window shades, service requests, even a steriliser—from a single app. According to Airbus’s Wuggetzer, next-gen digital architecture will turn personal spaces into individual “ecosystems” controlled by each passenger. Tim O’Hara, director of completions research and development at Gulfstream, notes that eye-tracking technology could allow you to interact with the app via virtual screen, meaning you don’t even have to lift a finger.
Breaking the Sound Barrier
Rosen Aviation has developed a new onboard audio system with Laurence Dickie, designer of the famed Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus loudspeaker. According to Rosen’s Lee Clark, the goal is to go from today’s audio equivalent of “a 1970s eight-track” to what he refers to as “Elvis, six feet away, singing to you”—a soundscape that only you will hear, delivered by headrest speakers and haptic drivers in the seat. Meanwhile, Bongiovi Aviation intends to employ transducers embedded in the jet’s interior side panels, eliminating the need for traditional speakers altogether. The advantages are numerous, and it allows airframers to reduce cabin weight and fully utilise space while eliminating traditional speakers from the design.
Bringing movie-theater audio quality to aviation is already available. Dolby Atmos puts you inside the movie or song as it is playing. In collaboration with Dolby, SkyCinema Aviation was the first to create an Atmos-enabled processor built for business jets to compensate for cabin altitude and jet noise. The result? You will clearly hear the car approaching from a half mile away in that famous scene of the 1959 Hitchcock classic North by Northwest, just as the director intended.
Hands Free
With full showers, skylights, and large vanities gracing the lavatories of the most luxe business jets today, what could be next? The smart lavatory is evolving into a nearly completely hands-free space by incorporating sensors to activate everything from faucets to showers. Using an AI algorithm, Diehl Aviation has taken it a step farther to add more functionality with voice-controlled commands for opening and closing the door, turning on lights, and activating water. Hologram light switches will eventually keep the lavatory completely hands free, while smart mirrors can multitask by providing an interactive display of digital content.