Marriott International Inc recently introduced a design package that includes the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for hotels in its select service brand portfolio being designed and constructed. The platform leverages a building information modelling (BIM) platform. A first to be piloted in Asia Pacific, Marriott's latest solution will supposedly be more efficient and streamline the design process for owners, with increased speed-to-market while maintaining cost control, at the same time. The Moxy Osaka Shin Umeda in Osaka, Japan, is one such hotel that has successfully utilised Marriott’s proprietary BIM platform. Streamlining the design process The newly introduced solutions provide an intelligent Cloud and 3D reference throughout the life cycle of a project, from early planning through design development to construction and operations. BIM prototypes can create an entire virtual hotel in days, instead of the months normally required. The flexibility of BIM allows design guidelines to be built right into the platform. Customisations to guest rooms such as room size and furniture layouts are editable, with the rest of the design process automatically recalibrated to incorporate any type of changes, greatly improving coordination and workflow amongst the many stakeholders involved in the design process. Fly-through 3D VR tours Using BIM technology and prototyping, high-resolution 3D virtual reality (VR) environments can be created faster than any other technology currently available. Another advantage of using BIM technology is virtual 'fly-through' tours of a proposed hotel, with visualisations of every design element shown in detail. This allows hotel owners to view in real time their entire hotel without having to wait for manual design renderings or construction. In 2020 alone, more than 50% of new hotel deals signed were in the Marriott select service brand category, underscoring the strong demand from owners for this segment that caters to mid-market consumers. The introduction of Marriott's latest proprietary solution is expected to continue to drive interest for this brand category given shorter design project cycles. Written from a company news release.