For a city so rich in culture and heritage, one thing London is certainly lacking is personal space. At least, that’s the idea behind Leonardo Hotels’ new ‘space optimiser’ jacket.
Designed to help tourists deal with the capital’s crowds, the jacket creates an exclusion zone of 18 inches – the minimum measurement for personal space determined by experts.
The ‘jacket’ can be inflated via an electric pump, creating a barrier between the wearer and crowds.
Leonardo Hotels came up with the prototype after commissioning a recent study that found 3.5 million Brits have never visited London, with a fifth (21 per cent) of the respondents citing the reason is that the capital is ‘too busy and imposing on personal space’.
Jason Carruthers, MD of Jurys Inn & Leonardo Hotels UK & Ireland, adds: "The results from the survey clearly show that busy crowds are stopping people from visiting this incredible city.
"The Space Optimiser jacket will allow people to go into those crowded tourist hot spots, without feeling too overwhelmed by impositions on their personal space.”
While the jacket is currently just a prototype, the hotel says it is considering rolling it out for guests if it proves popular. Just be ready for the glares from Londoners rushing to work…
