Aloft debuts voice-activated guestrooms

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide is now offering guests at Aloft hotels the option to directly control all aspects of the guestroom using only the guest’s voice. “Project: Jetson,” an experiment conducted by Starwood, has resulted in the first-ever voice-activated hotel room powered by queries beginning with “Hey Siri.” Each Aloft voice-activated hotel room is equipped with an iPad running a custom Aloft app used for controlling the in-room guest experience, with HomeKit-enabled accessories including room temperature, lighting options and more. These new rooms are available at Aloft Boston Seaport and at Aloft Santa Clara (Calif.).
 
“Forget the phrase ‘at the touch of your fingertips.’ Today’s early adopter, hyper-connected global traveler wants a level of personalization unlike ever before, and that means being able to control their hotel experience with the sound of their voice,” said Brian McGuinness, global brand leader, Aloft Hotels. “We’re thrilled to be the first hotel brand to bring voice-activation to our guests in this way, using Siri to control room temperature, lighting and more during their stay.”
 
“At Aloft, we are constantly pushing the envelope, our imaginations and the adaptation of technology to reinvent the hotel stay of today and tomorrow,” said Sarah Downing, VP, global guest initiatives & innovation, Aloft Hotels. “We love working with companies like DigiValet to help bring our visions to life. The new Aloft voice-activated hotel rooms are going to change the way that our guests interact, literally, with their room during their stay with us. It’s the latest way Aloft is changing the way we all travel.” 

When guests arrive, they will launch a custom Aloft app on their in-room iPad to control various aspects of their voice-activated room. A personalized welcome screen will advise guests on how to set up their room and use their own voice with “Hey Siri.” Each iPad also offers a simple tutorial to guide guests through the setup process and answer any questions they may have. 

Here is a sampling of what app, paired with the guestroom, can do:

• Control temperature - Siri can adjust the temperature on the Ecobee HomeKit-enabled thermostat by saying “Hey Siri, cool the room.”
• Adjust lighting - Using Homekit-enabled Philips Hue lights, select preset lighting options by requesting Siri turn on the lights, turn off the lights, or simply say good morning.
• Control music - By saying “Hey Siri, put on my morning playlist,” Siri can access guest iTunes accounts on the guestroom iPad. Music plays through the guest’s personal device.
• Explore local attractions - By asking “Hey Siri, what are some attractions near me?” information about the local area can be gleaned directly from the app.

The new Aloft voice-activated hotel rooms also allow guests to browse the internet, check the weather and more. At the end of each stay, all iPads are reset and all personal preferences are removed from the device. 

The results of “Project: Jetson” were brought to life in collaboration with DigiValet, the iPad-based guestroom solution for luxury hotels.