Wynn Las Vegas Looks To The Future, Photo Credit: Barbara Kraft
Hanging a “do not disturb” sign on your Las Vegas hotel room door is so last century. Now there’s a voice control for that or an app on a customized in-room tablet.
Just ask Alexa for the weather report, check Nexus for the newspaper or consult virtual concierge Ivy for dinner reservations. With all these e-helpers nearby, luxury travel means never being alone anymore.
Wynn Las Vegas
A leader in hospitality, Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Wynn Las Vegas recently became the first resort to introduce the Amazon Echo speaker into its standard accommodations. Just like our cars and cell phones, the smart features in Wynn’s 4,000-plus hotel rooms — lighting, temperature, drapery and television — are now voice controlled via a series of commands.
Alexa, the brain behind the Echo system, has more than 6,000 skills. And since she runs in the cloud, she is constantly getting smarter as developers integrate her into their products directly. She is best known for answering questions, reading the news, setting timers and alarms, reciting calendars, checking sports scores and controlling smart devices.
In the future at Wynn Las Vegas, expect Alexa to perform personal assistant functions.
ARIA’s Do-Everything Tablet, Photo Credit: MGM Resorts International
ARIA Resort & Casino
This Four-Star beauty collaborates with software company Crave Interactive to outfit more than 4,000 guest rooms with custom-designed tablets featuring intuitive functionality. Expect digital dining with the option to schedule orders as well as make reservations; housekeeping integration offers requests for turndown, extra linens and beds; spa services come at the beckoning of a single touch; and news is available on the PressReader application in multiple languages.
In addition to the popular features of tablet-controlled temperature, customized lighting and a personalized wakeup feature, ARIA’s new in-room toy is prime for groups, meetings and conventions to stay connected on itinerary updates and in sync with multimedia messaging, graphics and videos.
The Cromwell
You will wonder how you ever traveled without Ivy, a personalized virtual concierge available at Forbes Travel Guide Recommended The Cromwell.
Here’s how she works: At check-in, provide a cell number and Ivy will text a welcome message, opening the lines of communication for you to contact her, should you need anything like show or dinner reservations, or answers to general questions.
Ivy is so smart that she will auto-respond to these requests with pre-populated or learned material. And if she doesn’t know the answer, she sends it on to the concierge team.
For tech-loving guests at The Cromwell (Ivy is also available at Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace), the days of the keycard are long gone thanks to the eKey, which turns your smartphone into a room key. Download The Cromwell app and enter an access code tied to your iOS device and reservation, then unlock the door by placing your phone nearby. The eKey also activates the hotel elevator.
