[vimeo http://vimeo.com/19170938]
 At the touch of a screen, guests are able to order room service, make restaurant reservations, communicate directly with the concierge, request wake-up calls, explore NYC destination guides, and even check airline schedules and print boarding passes (which are promptly delivered to their room). Guests can even use the iPad to control the lights in their room as well as the heat and air conditioning systems.
New York’s Plaza Hotel is offering iPads in each of its guest rooms and suites. The program, which launched in January, makes the landmark hotel on Central Park South the first hotel in the world to provide guests services and room controls using iPads and Intelity’s ICE (Interactive Customer Experience)Â software to all of its guests.
“We chose the iPad because it is a great piece of equipment that is here to stay and won’t disappear tomorrow,” adds Krige. “It brings another five star element to the hotel.”
The iPads will not replace the human element at The Plaza.
“They are not meant to replace our concierge service and the personal touch we are known for,” Krige says. “It is to provide more choice. At a five star hotel you should have choices—if you want to use the iPad, you can do so. If you want a butler service, that is available, too. If you want to be left alone, that is a choice, as well. By putting the iPads in the guest rooms, we are bringing a new technology to everyone’s fingertips.”
In addition to providing a service to guests, the system helps the hotel track how it responds to requests made by guests, such as how long it takes to deliver a requested toothbrush. “If you order a pair of slippers, the request will go directly to the slipper department with no intermediary,” says Krige. “The requests go directly to the end producer, so that they can be very efficient.
For more:Â http://www.luxist.com/2011/02/03/the-plaza-in-new-york-offers-ipads-in-all-guest-rooms-and-suites/
