(Whoops. It's a hotel in Nashville that has the wake-up call, not the test hotel.)
Test hotel lets guests try new gadgets in lodging | www.tennessean.com |
Test hotel lets guests try new gadgets in lodging
University of Delaware's Room 114 at the Courtyard by Marriott 'room of the future' with 17 experimental features
By RACHEL KIPP
The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal
In Room 114 at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel at the University of Delaware, it takes more than reaching over and pressing the snooze button to silence the alarm clock. In addition to bleating an ear-splitting tune at the designated wake-up time, the gadget rolls off the dresser and hides in a corner, forcing sleepy users to get out of bed.
The showerhead in the bathroom has 70 percent stronger water pressure than the average fixture, but it uses 70 percent less water.
When visitors arrive, there's no looking through a peephole. Instead of glass, the hole in the door contains a digital video camera connected to an LCD screen mounted on the inside of the door.
Room 114 at the Courtyard in Newark, Del., is unique for now, but researchers at the University of Delaware hope it won't always be that way. They're using the experimental "room of the future" to test new technology in a real hotel environment.
Guests' feedback helps industry insiders figure out which gadgets should be rolled out at hotel chains worldwide and which need more work.
"It's a living/learning lab of lodging technology," said William Sullivan, managing director of the hotel.
With analysts expecting little, if any, increase recently in occupancy rates nationwide, hotels are looking for more creative ways to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Since last year, for example, guests at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville have the option of getting recorded wake-up calls from country singers such as Kellie Pickler or Montgomery Gentry.
Owners of the Union Station Hotel in Nashville, meanwhile, recently completed a $10 million renovation that included the addition of high-definition TVs and clock radios with iPod docking stations.
But with Room 114, University of Delaware researchers are hoping to find even better ways to serve guests.
17 new features offered
Room 114 also features flameless electric candles, a digital picture frame and a bedside digital assistant that allows guests to control room temperature, lighting and a digital radio from under the covers.
Right now, Room 114 includes about 17 experimental features, worth a total of about $50,000. There are more are on the way — including an electronic wine chiller and a version of Nintendo's Wii designed with hotels and business travelers in mind.
Some products will be removed eventually, others will take their places, and a few may return after changes.
Guests can stay in the X-room by choice, but some have been booked by chance. All are given a survey so the UD researchers and developers of the products can collect data about what travelers like and don't like.
For example, guests complained that it was hard to figure out which of the six remotes operated which gadget.
Cihan Cobanoglu, an associate professor who co-manages the project, is hoping to develop a voice-recognition program that would control all of the machines.
While hotel rooms always contain the standard bed, desk and dresser, travelers' increased reliance on technology is changing expectations.
"It used to be that we'd only have two electric outlets per room," said Sullivan, the hotel's director, but today's travelers need more.
Cleaner beds sought
Sullivan said technology can be a powerful marketing tool for hotels because certain features may persuade travelers to seek out a particular chain.
Increasingly, travelers are interested in hotels with all the comforts of home, he said.
The Courtyard-Newark is testing a stain-resistant mattress cover from W.L. Gore on all beds, including Room 114.
"You used to see all of those 20/20 stories about hotel bedspreads, and the hotel said they needed to get rid of spreads. Now the bedding is changed every day," Sullivan said. "It's a lot better sleeping experience."
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