Hotels keeping up the pace with new technology

by Melanie Nayer on

iPod docking stations are so last year. Today, hotels are making a more concerted effort to upgrade their guest rooms and common areas with the newest technology that keeps guests connected, educated, and often times inspired, during their stay. While many hotels bring in iPads to keep their guests entertained, other hotels are getting super-sexy with some unique high-tech initiatives.

Check out the Royal Mansour in Marrakech. The property was created completely by Moroccan artisans and craftsman trained in the traditional arts of carving, silk weaving, and mosaics, but the hotel added cutting-edge technology throughout. For example, every guest room has a touch screen wall that enables guests to control lighting and temperature levels (tres chic!) and in case you tire of the personal butler service (although we can’t imagine why you would,) there is a ‘Do Not Disturb’ button on your wall for ultimate privacy.

Guest rooms at Pavillon des Lettres in Paris are perfect for the aspiring storyteller. Opening this autumn, Pavillon des Lettres is a small 26-room upscale hotel with a novel idea: guest rooms that are devoted to a letter of the alphabet that corresponds with a famous writer. (Think: H for Hugo or B for Balzac.) Passages from the writer’s books will appear above the bed and a hard copy of the book can be found on the nightstand. C’est magnifique! Closer to home, the quaint New England island of Nantucket is getting into the high-tech crazy. Nantucket Island Resorts offers Flip Video Camcorders for guests to use at each property, so you can record the sunsets, the hikes, the storms and the endless display of Nantucket baskets that parade around the island every summer. (Hint from this New Englander: Grab a seat at the White Elephant at sunset and capture the boats coming into the dock – it’s one of the best, and most unique, New England moments). You can enter a one-minute video clip in the Flip Out on Nantucket Sweepstakes for the chance to win a grand prize Nantucket vacation worth $15,000.

We couldn’t do a post about high-tech hotels without mentioning one of the newest and techiest hotels to hit the New York scene: Andaz Wall Street and the newly opened Andaz 5th Avenue. Thanks to technology, guests skip the front-desk altogether and use mobile tablets to check in with the hotel’s floating ‘hosts’. Have a rough day? Enjoy a glass of wine while you check-in. In a hurry? Check-in from the elevator on the way to your room. Guests just swipe their credit cards and a room key is created on the spot. Genius!

Gadling readers: What new technology would you like to see in hotels?

New Bing Maps feature takes the guessing out of taxi cab fares

by Scott Carmichael on

Bing maps just introduced a really cool feature for travelers – cab fare mapping and pricing. The feature covers 54 cities around the world, including many major tourist destinations. Simply enter your region, departure and arrival points, and Bing will provide a route and estimated fare.

In the few tests I threw at it, the calculation seemed very accurate, and it takes all parts of the fee into account, including the initial charge. What it won’t calculate are special costs like curbside pickup and luggage fees. It also does not appear to calculate tolls into its estimate.

Still, if you are heading somewhere and need an idea of how much a cab ride will cost, this is a very convenient tool, and one that could potentially save you some money if you need to pick the best way to get from A to B.

The new feature is part of the King of Bing Maps competition, which resulted in some pretty neat map tools. Click here for the cab fare tool, and take it for a spin to see whether its results are reliable.

(Via: Mashable)

Top five ways to use social media to look like you’re working on vacation

by Tom Johansmeyer on

We’ve put some distance between us and the September 2008 financial crisis, but unemployment – and tension the workplace – is still high. There’s plenty of anxiety over whether people appear to be working hard enough, because it’s safe to assume that the budgets being allocated or raises and bonuses are unlikely to be generous. So, in the quest to appear productive, employees need more tools. Thankfully, we have social media: use it wisely, and you can look wholly dedicated to your company and your job while you’re on vacation.

The trick, of course, is to look productive. Work through your vacation, and you give up an opportunity to relax … and risk annoying the friends or family traveling with you. I’ve written about tools you can use to look like you’re working even when you’re not, but the proliferation of social media options gives you new ways to snow your boss.1. Plan your lies
While you’re waiting at the gate or sitting on the plane, write out the tweets and Facebook status updates that make it look like you’re thinking about the office. Use brief mentions of activities that could look like work, such as “Taking quick look @ document before heading to pool”. Write enough so you have three or four a day (you don’t want to overdo it).

2. Schedule your tweets and status updates
Since you don’t want to give up vacation time to even the appearance of working, schedule your tweets and Facebook status updates. HootSuite’s my favorite, but there are other tools you can use, as well. I prefer HootSuite because I can hit Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn from the same place and schedule updates for each. Twitter may say you’re “taking quick look @ contract” but you’ll really be sipping something delightful on the sand.

3. “Favorite” tweets for @replying or retweeting later
Unfortunately, this requires that you actually do something while you’re on vacation, but it’s not as hard as it sounds (as long as you use a smartphone). While you’re waiting in line or running off to the bathroom, use a Twitter application (I use UberTwitter) to scan your stream and see if there is anything work- or business-related that you can retweet. Do some immediately, but mark most of the interesting tweets as favorites. When you get back to your hotel room, schedule the retweets over time, so it looks like you’re continually thinking about work.

4. Check in (with the office, that is)
Again, you can’t schedule this sort of behavior, but you can still fake it. During your flurries of @ replying and retweeting, dash off a few direct messages to key people at the office (peers are better than bosses, because I will seem more like real work) just to see how things are going and if anybody needs some help. The only risk is that you could get dragged into a conversation (or worse) if someone really does need a hnd.

5. Hire a helper
Find an unemployed liberal arts grad who’s willing to tweet and post for you for a few days. Pay him or her with access to your garage while you’re out of town and a hot meal when you get back. Hire a psych or philosophy major, and you can probably get away with cold pizza.

TripAdvisor mobile app lands in the Nokia Ovi app store

by Scott Carmichael on

TripAdvisor just announced the availability of a new app for Nokia touchscreen phones. The new app provides a familiar interface for mobile access to TripAdvisor reviews.

In the app, you’ll find reviews for hotels, restaurants, attractions and more, and just like in the iPhone version, you also get easy access to cheap airfares.

The app can be found in the Nokia Ovi app store, accessible on your device or though the Ovi web storefront. The app is free of charge, but obviously requires a data connection.

In addition to a dedicated Ovi app, TripAdvisor also announced integration with Ovi maps, making it easier to get walking and driving directions to any of the content provided by TripAdvisor. This new feature is being rolled out globally, and should be available within a month.

This new Nokia app marks the fourth platform supported by TripAdvisor – previous versions were available for the iPhone, Palm Pre and Android.

To learn more about the new Nokia TripAdvisor app, check out the brilliant TripAdvisor blog.

Apple’s iTravel app would connect directly to hotel services

by Melanie Nayer on

Today there’s an app for just about anything you could want. From financial planning to paper-tossing, it’s hard to be unorganized in today’s electronic age. As tech giant Apple continues to roll out new products and platforms, developers continue to create apps that feed the consumer’s mind.

Enter: iTravel, Apple’s most recent patent filing that hooks users up with travel plans from flights to hotels.

The patent prototypes can be viewed on PatentlyApple.com and show that the proposed iTravel app goes beyond booking flights and allows travelers access to transportation services, car rental agencies, hotels, and destination-specific details. The hotel feature, for example, would allow you to pre-order room service, make requests about temperature, and use your iPhone as your room key or a remote control for various electronics in the room.

But can it be done? And if it’s released, how will Apple’s iTravel compete with other hotel apps?The iTravel hotel app would make it easier for consumers to connect directly to hotel services like dry cleaning, room service and the hotel spa, and be used to pay your bill at the end of your stay. Additionally, you could get local information and make restaurant reservations or seek out nightlife.

So, why Apple is competing with the companies that supply thousands of apps for Apple products? The real question is: are they? There are endless hotel applications that allow a traveler to do everything from book rooms to learn the local language where they’re visiting, all through their hotel’s app for iPhone. What precludes another developer from creating an app for a hotel that functions the same way Apple’s iTravel app works?

My prediction: the launch of Apple’s iTravel will simply mean more advanced apps from already existing hotels and travel companies, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Readers: We want to know what you think. What would you like to see from Apple’s iTravel app?