By Adrian Justins
For fingerprint entry
The phrase “Have you got your key?” is not required by the owners of this modern 12-bedroom French Riviera property, which they can enter using fingerprint technology. Other high-tech features include a swimming pool with underwater speakers (pictured above) and a 17-vehicle underground car park with WiFi and mobile phone signal coverage. The villa, which has views of Cap Ferrat’s marina, is priced at €56m.
For a combined swimming pool and dancefloor
Energetic types can do laps in the basement swimming pool at this €18m contemporary manor house near Amsterdam or indulge in a spot of ballroom dancing in the same place: at the press of a button, the pool’s water drains away and the blue marble bottom rises to ground level to become a dancefloor. Another innovative feature of the eight-bedroom property is its bathrooms with heated walls and floors.
For voice control
The 11-ft drapes for the dual aspect floor-to-ceiling windows of this one-bedroom New York apartment, which has panoramic views of Central Park and across Manhattan, can be commanded to open and close using Crestron voice-assisted home automation technology. There is also a direct video link to the concierge of the neighbouring Hyatt Hotel, allowing the apartment’s residents to book the hotel’s spa, room service and housekeeping. The asking price is $4m.
For film nights — inside and out
Set on a beautifully landscaped plot that looks out onto the Mediterranean Sea, this eight-bedroom contemporary villa in Marbella, Spain, has two home cinemas — one indoors and the other outdoors on a rooftop terrace. The latter is accessed by a lift that has panoramic views. The property is on the market for €18.8m.
For robotic valet parking
Off-street parking is a rarity among the townhouses of London’s Notting Hill but this newly rebuilt seven-bedroom property has a robotic car lift and three-vehicle capacity underground garage. When it is time to leave, the driver uses a touchscreen panel that can command the parking system to retrieve the desired vehicle. The house also has a separate lift for people and state of the art home automation that controls the lighting, heating and entertainment systems. All could be yours for an offer in excess of £15m.
