The Aloft hotel brand has opened an Apple-skewed property in Cupertino. Photo: AFP/Starwood Hotels & Resorts
All 123 rooms at Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ Aloft Hotels, whose tagline is “style at a steal,” will feature
Apple TVs that can sync with guests’ iPhones, iPads or iPod Touch devices and their personal iTunes accounts.
Guests can choose among movie titles from iTunes, connect to Netflix for films, or Hulu for TV shows, and play their personal videos and photos on the in-room’s 42-inch LCD flatscreen TV.
As pointed out by CNET, it’s not the first time a hotel chain has opted to go with Apple TVs for their in-room entertainment. Staybridge Suites in London’s Olympic Village was also outfitted with the small, portable devices which enable guests to access their personal iTunes accounts.
Meanwhile, in what’s poised to become a trend in DIY, virtual hotel check-ins, another Aloft feature includes a Cool Concierge which bypasses the human version of concierge or front desk service.
Instead, guests use the tablet-system themselves to look up directions, phone numbers, make reservations, check their in-flight status and print boarding passes.
Their Smart Check-In also allows guests to bypass the front desk and straight to their rooms using radio frequency technology or RFID, or wireless, non-contact systems.