Hotel Hyundai

Hyundai opens the doors to the world’s first carpowered hotel.

With carbon footprint a growing concern amongst holidaying Brits, some forwardthinking hoteliers have been coming up with one-of-a-kind staycations that don’t involve travel on fuel-guzzling transportation to get there. Cabins, campervans and luxury glamping experiences have popped-up across the country, but perhaps the most innovative approach comes from Hyundai. Having commissioned research on consumer travel habits, the motor company found that nearly half (46%) of those surveyed said sustainability is more important than ever when booking a holiday, and a further quarter (25%) are choosing staycations over flying abroad in a bid to reduce their carbon footprint.

In response, Hyundai has created an off-grid travel experience, billed as the world’s first car-powered hotel stay. Located on Colemans Farm in the Essex countryside, the three-week pop-up centres around a luxury cabin, in which every element – from the lights to the kettle – is powered by the all-electric IONIQ 5 through its Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) technology.

The experience has been curated by broadcaster and critic Grace Dent and features all the mod-cons of a boutique hotel as well as environmentally-friendly touches such as furnishings made from recycled plastic. The camp also has its own food and beverage offering serving locally-sourced cuisine. And demonstrating the true capability of the IONIQ 5, there’s even a cinema with car-powered projector, speakers and popcorn machine.

“Our award-winning IONIQ 5 is able to power Hotel Hyundai using its V2L feature, where an adapter from the car provides a socket which domestic appliances can be plugged into,” explains Ashley Andrew, Managing Director, Hyundai Motor UK. “The whole experience demonstrates the practicality of this pioneering technology, and we hope the concept inspires more people to go off-grid.”

Dent concludes: “We’re looking for unique, memorable stays more now than ever and this is a delicious blend of innovation, luxury and comfort that gets you thinking. With power coming from the car, where could Hotel Hyundai pop-up next? I hope this is just the start for this concept of a car plugging-in and powering a luxury experience.”

© Doug Peters