Last month the Art Ovation Hotel Autograph Collection opened its doors in Sarasota, Fla., as an active host, facilitator, patron and partner of the arts. To enhance the hotel’s art-gallery experience, the property equipped each of its 162 guestrooms with portable ICEbedside tablets from Intelity. Guests can click on the Ovation Arts icon in the hotel’s mobile app to see objects on display throughout the property, and they are encouraged to take the in-room iPads with them as they tour the gallery. Uploaded videos provide details on each work and its artist, and guests can purchase pieces directly through the mobile app.
“Using Intelity tablets, our guests are engaging more closely with local artists and learning about their artistic expressions on display throughout our hotel,” front office manager Egemen Alici said in a statement. “Together with the Ringling College of Art and Design, we are presenting an evolving array of unique, immersive, artistic experiences supported by exceptional hospitality in a dynamic, art-centric environment. Intelity is helping us bring these art experiences to life through the mobile app they created. Guests can view videos of the displays on their tablets prior to seeing them face-to-face, or they can tour our exhibitions with tablets in hand – and even buy art on the spot using the Ovation mobile app.”
At Art Ovation Hotel, guests are invited to interact and be part of the rotating art exhibitions that include live performances, tours, classes, talks and workshops. All artists are local, and most originated from Ringling College. Works are donated to the hotel and exhibited throughout the property. Eighty percent of art sold goes to the artists and 20 percent is given to the Ringling College Fund. Artists visit the property daily; some perform while others draw in front of guests to get them more engaged.
Soon hotel staff will begin using Intelity’s new Mercury Messaging Portal. Part of the ICE platform, Mercury will enable guests to place requests with hotel staff via the messaging channel they choose, whether it be SMS text, or social media. Whether the guest is at home, in route to the hotel, or touring the art exhibit, staff will have the messaging tools they need to reply to guest requests instantly and deliver on requests efficiently.
