The smallest and most advanced of the countries created when Yugoslavia broke apart, Slovenia is within a half-day's drive of Vienna, Milan, and Budapest. Attractive, compact, and orderly, it offers visitors an easy introduction to the sometimes chaotic Balkans. And with Slovenia entering the EU next year, the elegant city of Ljubljana is poised to take off.

The new hotel, the Domina Grand Media, is the result of a collaboration between Domina, the fast-growing Italian-based hotel chain; Alpha Bau, the Austrian construction management firm; and a number of large technology manufacturers, including Cisco, Deutsche Telekom, and Siemens.

Scheduled to open its doors in February, the 200-plus- room hotel promises to be a paradise for technophiles and a welcome change for travelers who find most accommodations slow to embrace the digital age. Using an in-room terminal, guests will be able to control all functions—from the temperature to the television. The 107 full-size suites will have 30- to 40-inch monitors in the bedroom, the sitting room, and the bathroom. On an oversized 'projection wall' in the sitting room, guests will be able to watch a thousand different movies, read the pages of major newspapers, and view a choice of 50 stations (about 15 TV channels can be customized for conventions—for example, a Tokyo group will be able to request channels from Japan) on high-definition television. The entertainment trove will also include an abundance of video games and a flight simulator. In full-size and junior suites, high-quality cinema-style sound will emanate from invisible speakers. Standard rooms will offer a scaled-down version of the suite amenities.

What's more, guests will be able to use their own wireless devices to access in-room features remotely, making it possible to turn up the heat and dim the lights while finishing dessert at the hotel restaurant. Entry will no longer require fumbling for a key or a card: Just punch in your personal password or flash a thumbprint. To help guests unwind from all those digits, the Domina Grand Media will have Ljubljana's largest casino, a smallish indoor pool, a largish whirlpool spa, a fitness center, and the Havana Bar. Meeting facilities will also be available, and guests will even be able to teleconference from the privacy of the tub—although turning off the camera first is strongly advised.

The Ljubljana property will be the first of a string of Grand Media hotels. The second is slated to open in the German city of Schwerin in mid-2004, and others are expected soon after in Budapest, Vienna, and several Polish cities. Once it opens, the Ljubljana hotel should be reachable at 386-1-569-1192 (doubles, $194; suites, $319-$467).