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Apple TVs and iPhone Check-In Coming to Red Lion Hotels

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Red Lion Hotels today announced plans to enhance guest experiences with a series of Apple-related technology upgrades, including Apple TVs in hotel rooms, an updated iOS app that allows guests to check in using their iPhones, iPad kiosks for lobby areas, and more.

Red Lion Hotels is starting to add in-room Apple TVs to its "Hotel RL" branded properties. The TVs will be equipped with Red Lion Hotel apps that allow guests to watch DirecTV channels and the Hotel RL Living Stage channel that highlights local artists and performers performing live across the Hotel RL brand.

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Hello Rewards, the Red Lion Hotel app, is being updated with new functionality that will allow guests to manage loyalty accounts and check in and check out right on their iPhones. The app will include digital keys, so guests don't need to visit the hotel's registration desk at all - the iPhone can unlock a room door.
"We are constantly looking at ways to service guests with tailored experiences," said Edwards. "We understand that sometimes guests don't prefer engaging with people during travel, so we created a way for people to arrive, check in, proceed directly to their room, and even check out. We want to accommodate them in every way that we can, and our updated Hello Rewards app with new check-in and check-out features, plus digital room keys, deliver on that promise."
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With these additions, Red Lion Hotels is aiming to create a connected experience for guests from check in to check out. Prior to arriving at the hotel, guests will receive a text message with a link to the Hello Rewards application, and from there, Hello Rewards can be used to manage the entire hotel experience. Along with serving as a digital key, the app can allow guests to communicate with hotel staff and discover local venue recommendations.

Red Lion Hotels is also equipping its staff with Apple products. Valet staff will be provided with Apple Watches to manage car retrieval requests without needing to be present at the hotel's valet stand, and in the lobby, there will be self-service iPad kiosks for checking in and contacting customer support, all with the aim of streamlining the hotel experience for customers.

Article Link: Apple TVs and iPhone Check-In Coming to Red Lion Hotels
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/06/30/red-lion-hotels-apple-tv-iphone-check-in/
I know this all sounds great in theory, but I've stayed at Hotel RL properties and your experience depends a lot on the staff understanding the tech. In my experience they largely didn't. For instance, there isn't a real counter to check in, just people wandering around with iPads. Frankly I found it disorganized and chaotic. YMMV.
 
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picaman said:
I know this all sounds great in theory, but I've stayed at Hotel RL properties and your experience depends a lot on the staff understanding the tech. In my experience they largely didn't. For instance, there isn't a real counter to check in, just people wandering around with iPads. Frankly I found it disorganized and chaotic. YMMV.
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I for one had a fantastic experience with Red Lion. Counters are counter-intuitive The future is mobile, and I love the Apple Store for this kind of experience.
 
I've purchased Apple TVs just to throw into a hotel room or a conference room before. You can typically hook them into a wireline connection and then connect your iOS device to the WiFi in hotels and use airplay.

I've never heard of Red Lion hotels before but hopefully SPG/Ritz/Marriott-Group decides to follow suit.

edit to add: a lot of the SPG properties have keyless entry now with the app. That tech needs to mature though, currently it's more convenient to fish my keycard out of my pocket or bag than to use the app. I'd like it to be like my August locks and just sense I'm arriving at my room and unlock it for me.

edit 2: I leave the Apple TVs behind when I leave so if you've ever found a random Apple TV in an SPG room you're welcome :)
 
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thisisnotmyname said:
I've purchased Apple TVs just to throw into a hotel room or a conference room before. You can typically hook them into a wireline connection and then connect your iOS device to the WiFi in hotels and use airplay.

I've never heard of Red Lion hotels before but hopefully SPG/Ritz/Marriott-Group decides to follow suit.

edit to add: a lot of the SPG properties have keyless entry now with the app. That tech needs to mature though, currently it's more convenient to fish my keycard out of my pocket or bag than to use the app. I'd like it to be like my August locks and just sense I'm arriving at my room and unlock it for me.

edit 2: I leave the Apple TVs behind when I leave so if you've ever found a random Apple TV in an SPG room you're welcome :)
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You buy them and leave them? At first it seems like you were an installer for them
 
I love the idea of checking out from my phone. I love the idea of someone doing my check-in on an iPad in my room. But I hate the idea of people floating around in a lobby doing check-in. I like to lean!!
 
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Funny. All I read everyday on these forums is how Apple is dying. Has lost its way... yadda, yadda, yadda.

Yet it seems companies still gravitate to Apple. They still see their products as the bench mark.
 
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I'd love to see Starwood/Marriott Hotels start incorporating this. The majority of the time my wife and I stay at a hotel, we don't really watch TV when we come back to our room after being out all day. The only exception being is if there is a sporting event on. But most of the time, we connect our iPad's to the hotel wifi and stream Netflix, Hulu, etc.

Our Apple TV's at home are our main source of video consumption. I guess since we've been cable cutters for almost two years now, we're not used to cable TV when we stay at hotels.
 
dontwalkhand said:
You buy them and leave them? At first it seems like you were an installer for them
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avanpelt said:
Wow, that's very generous of you.
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MacFan23 said:
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I just look at it as $150 for a smoother conversation (in the case of being able to airplay in a conference room) or better entertainment experience (in the case of not having to deal with in room entertainment systems and commercials). That's worth it to me. If I took them home with me I'd just have a pile of Apple TVs around the house as I already have one on every screen here. I suppose I could just keep one in my bag as I travel but I'm a minimalist when it comes to travel and already even refuse to bring my laptop (I travel with just an iPad Pro).
 
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I was at the Hi-Tec Hotel Technology Conference in Toronto this week and several vendors told me that Apple is going to make a big AppleTV announcement in the Fall.

One notable feature for the hotel industry is easy user management. Enabling a guest’s settings to match their guest profile every time they check in to that hotel chain and then to be logged out when they check out. This of course has implications for the general public. It’s likely that we’ll see multiple user profiles in tvOS in the Fall.

This will also have implications for HomePod which requires multiple user profiles to function correctly in a family home. One unannounced HomePod feature is that it can function as an AppleTV wirelessly outputting video to a yet to be announced AirPlay 2 HDMI connector.

Apple is making a big play to the hotel industry as well enterprise in general, and we’ll get to see more of it this Fall.
 
eoblaed said:
Marriott? Are you listening?
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Pretty sure Marriott is already testing at least the digital key feature.

At the Bethesda Marriott, which I believe is their flagship and I've stayed at for almost 2 months now, they offer the ability to use digital key as well as print a physical card at a kiosk via Bluetooth.

They may not have iPads in the lobby, but they do have some in the concierge lounge.
 
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mdelvecchio said:
Yet inaccurate. Apple stores are simply a distributed model. It’s incredibly easy and efficient to go in, make a purchase, leave. You don’t even need to use a staff member to do this.
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How can my feelings about Apple Stores be inaccurate? I can assure you that is exactly how I feel about them.
 
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