Medieval Abbey Hotel Offers Google Glass

By Gabrielle Lipton - August 13, 2014
  • Built in 1145, the abbey is one of two Spanish abbeys to have later survived the destruction of the Napoleonic Wars.

    Built in 1145, the abbey is one of two Spanish abbeys to have later survived the destruction of the Napoleonic Wars.

  • Set in the Duero river valley, the abbey's vineyards produce some of Spain's top wines.

    Set in the Duero river valley, the abbey's vineyards produce some of Spain's top wines.

  • Produce grown on the property's grounds are used in The Refectorio, above, as well as the hotel's other two restaurants.

    Produce grown on the property's grounds are used in The Refectorio, above, as well as the hotel's other two restaurants.

  • Guests can use Google Glass to learn more about the hotel's art and architecture.

    Guests can use Google Glass to learn more about the hotel's art and architecture.

  • Each of the 22 rooms is soundproof and has oak floors, walnut furniture, Exvoto toiletries, and vineyard views.

    Each of the 22 rooms is soundproof and has oak floors, walnut furniture, Exvoto toiletries, and vineyard views.

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The 900-year-old Abadia Retuerta LeDomaine has stood in Spain’s Duero wine region for nearly a millennium, originally an abbey and now five-star hotel and winery. In its most futuristic update yet, it just began offering a new amenity to its guests: Google Glass. It’s Europe’s first hotel to do so, joining only a handful of other properties in the world that have adopted the Glass as part of their programs. “Google Glass is the next step in our complete transformation from an ancient and storied abbey to a sophisticated modern hotel offering the highest level of luxury and service in a sublime historic ambiance,” said Andres Araya, managing director of Abadía Retuerta LeDomaine. “With Google Glass, we are introducing our guests to an exciting new 21st-century experience in a 12th-century setting.”

With one of its eight pairs of Google Glass, guests can experience the medieval property in a new way: take a guided tour of the hotel and its vast art collection, stargaze with the assistance of an astronomical app, browse the internet, make phone calls, film short videos, and post to social media in real time, with new apps regularly being added to the array. Pictures taken with the blink of an eye will capture the property at its best, too, as it was reopened in 2012 after a restoration so thorough that it earned LeDomaine a Europa Nostra Award from the European Union for cultural heritage conservation as well as Spain’s sole inclusion in the prestigious Relais & Châteaux hotel and restaurant guide. Twenty-two guest rooms offer full butler service, the abbey’s dining hall is now The Refectorio restaurant headed by two-Michelin-starred chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, and the surrounding property sizes 700 pristine hectares of farmland and award-winning vineyards. Next up? A conversion of the original stables into eight more guest rooms and a spa, set to be completed in 2015.

For more information, visit Abadia Retuerta LeDomaine

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