In 'smart' hotel rooms,everything is just right

"When regulars like Laurence Wiener check into the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York,they get more than a smile from the concierge and a mint on their pillow",this article in IHT says."Wiener's hotel room "knows" exactly how warm.It welcomes him with a personal message on his television.It even loads his most frequently dialed numbers onto the phone.And the bellhop did not have to do a thing.At the Mandarin and other high-end hotels,new computer systems which connect individual rooms to network servers can now keep track of guests' preferences and change the room conditions automatically.These "smart" systems can learn whether a frequent guest likes the lights dimmed, the curtains closed or the room toasty warm.They can also personalize the electronics in the room so that the music of John Coltrane,for instance, greets jazz buffs when they enter their rooms.Meanwhile, sensors in refrigerators alert maids when the minibar is running low on Coca-Cola.While much of the underlying technology is not new, it is still rare in private homes because the cost of the equipment is relatively expensive.As a consequence, luxury hotels are the first to embrace it.But by incorporating such technology into their guest rooms, these hotels are starting to provide a glimpse of the networked homes of the future".

Read full article in International Herald Tribune

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