As travelers send text messages, “like” photos, book trips and check email at near obsessive levels, hotels are clamoring to meet these gadget-addicted clients’ needs. Hotels in tech-savvy San Francisco are leading the charge, offering everything from in-room tech menus to energy-consumption meters. Check in and plug in at these San Francisco high-tech hot spots:
Hotel Zetta
Set to open mid-February and managed by Viceroy Hotel Group, Hotel Zetta will be a tony new addition to the group’s Urban Retreat Collection, situated at the crossroads of San Francisco’s art, technology and financial districts. Guest rooms integrate technology that allows music and movies to stream wirelessly from any tablet or smartphone to the flat-screen TV. The hotel’s tech pièce de résistance is the Playroom, a cozy, tech-equipped family space rigged with the latest video game consoles (as well as a few retro classics) and a red London telephone booth where you can snap profile pictures, call for room service and even video chat.
Hotel Abri
Tech addicts might also wish to stay at the newly transformed Hotel Abri. Dressed in warm-yet-sleek décor and contemporary art, the hotel offers a 24-hour business center, complimentary wireless and a tech menu with borrowable items, such as ear buds, mini speakers, phone chargers and flash drives. Flat-screen TVs with smart panels make it easy to connect all your digital media, and the iPad wall in the lobby — which is loaded with apps to help you make the best of your visit — puts the fun in functionality.
InterContinental San Francisco
The towering glass structure that is San Francisco’s InterContinental screams cutting edge, and environmentalists love the hotel’s commitment to sustainable practices and green technology. Its state-of-the art executive boardroom has video conferencing and touch-screen technology. Meanwhile, the building’s automation system monitors utility consumption in real time and feeds that information to a “smart thermostat” in guest rooms, so you are educated and invited to join in on the hotel’s conservation efforts. In-room features include voice-over-Internet phones with touch screens, iHome docking stations and high-definition LCD TVs. Should you show up in a hybrid vehicle, the InterContinental has a few charging stations at your disposal.
The St. Regis San Francisco
Feed your tech addiction at The St. Regis San Francisco. The Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star hotel outfits its rooms with a phone-touchscreen gadget that can adjust the temperature, change the lighting, peruse local radio stations or call the concierge, spa or room service. Rooms also have flat-screen plasma TVs (plus flat-screen LCD televisions in the bathrooms), DVD players and an all-in-one fax, copier, printer and scanner. And don’t fret if your laptop experiences technical difficulties — the concierge can loan you one.
JW Marriott San Francisco Union Square
For business meetings with buzz, nobody does it better than the JW Marriott. The executive meeting space (aka the Pacific Conference Center) is equipped with the latest capabilities, including interactive white boards, sound-absorbing rugs (for those really loud meetings) and audiovisual controls with in-wall touch panels. In addition, the space has just been transformed into PURE-certified facilities and guest rooms, providing clean air and surfaces for ultimate comfort and health.
Photos Courtesy of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc., Hotel Zetta, Intercontinental San Francisco, Marriott International Inc.
