Yes! Voice-Activated Hotel Rooms

Sometimes hotel technology goes a bit far. Like when you can’t figure out how to turn out a light.

I stayed in a charming hotel housed in a former monastery in Avignon, but encountered an issue the monks never had to deal with. I couldn’t turn out the lamp by my bed.

At another property in Mexico, the beautiful nightstand lit up, a fun feature during the day. But when the off switch doesn’t work at night, not so much. I had to pull out all my bath towels and drape them over the nightstand so I could sleep.

At a hotel in Seville, I had to call the front desk to send someone to show me how to turn on the TV. I’ve also frozen/been overheated in hotel rooms because I couldn’t figure out how to adjust the thermostat. Or in some cases, couldn’t locate it in the first place.

Those problems will be a thing of the past if other properties follow the example of Aloft Hotels and its new program that’s been referred to as “Project: Jetson.”

Guests at Starwood properties Aloft Boston Seaport and Aloft Santa Clara can enlist an iPad app using Siri that allows them to turn on/off the TV, change the temperature and turn the lights on and off using voice commands.

Here’s how it works. You walk in your hotel room, where you’ll have instructions on the TV on how to set up the voice activation. Then you introduce yourself to Siri and talk to her long enough for her to recognize your voice when you ask her to do stuff for you later.

In addition to adjusting settings in the hotel room, you can also ask Siri questions like “Where can I get Thai food close by?” or “What time does the aquarium open?’ She’s like your in-room assistant you don’t have to share the bathroom with!

Now, if it will just make coffee for me in the mornings.