STAMFORD, CT—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.’s Aloft brand has introduced RoomCast Powered by Chromecast, a new streaming solution. Designed by TeleAdapt for the hotel industry, it is now being offered at Aloft.
Starting today, the Aloft New Orleans Downtown will begin to pilot this feature, with a plan for all 188 guestrooms to be fully outfitted with RoomCast by late summer. RoomCast makes it simple for guests to stream their favorite content—safely and securely—from their smart devices directly to their guestroom TVs, according to the company. There are no new account setups since it is a point-and-click technology.
“Innovation is at the heart of the Aloft brand, and we are always striving to bring new technologies to our early adopter guests first,” said Sarah Downing, VP, global guest initiatives, Aloft Hotels. “In partnership with the cutting-edge thinkers of TeleAdapt, we are thrilled to be the first to bring RoomCast powered by Chromecast to market at Aloft New Orleans Downtown. It’s a simple, safe and secure way for guests to stream their favorite content right to their televisions. It’s the future of in-room entertainment.”
To stream shows, apps and other content, RoomCast powered by Chromecast provides each guestroom with a wireless personal area network equipped with a specific password and integrated Chromecast media streaming device. Upon entering the room, guests can join their own personal, secure network, at which point they will discover a “cast button” within all their cast-enabled apps on their iOS or Android devices. Guests can join the in-room network, open a cast-enabled app and tap the cast button to watch their content on the TV. According to the company, there is no need to download software or enter personal information to login. The personal area network password is then reset for the next hotel guest, leaving no information behind.
“TeleAdapt is fortunate to have relationships with the world’s leading hotel groups, such as Starwood, which influence our product development process in such a positive way,” said Neil Betterton, VP, global product development at TeleAdapt. “We work hard to develop products that meet the unique needs of hotel guestroom applications, but that cannot be done in a vacuum. The Starwood team’s support with the development of RoomCast was absolutely key.”