The Plaza hotel in NYC offers iPads in every room

By Andrew Couts February 7, 2011

These days, most of us are lucky if we land a hotel room that comes with complimentary Wi-Fi access. But guests of The Plaza hotel in New York City get something even better: an iPad.

According to Luxist.com, the Apple tablets come loaded with Intelity’s ICE (Interactive Customer Experience) software, which allows the 5-star hotel’s pampered guests to order room service, request wake-up calls, or browse NYC travel guides, among other things. Guests can even adjust their room’s lights and temperature controls directly from the iPad.

So, how did such a perk end up in one of the country’s most famous hotels?

“We chose the iPad because it is a great piece of equipment that is here to stay and won’t disappear tomorrow,” Shane Krige, general manager of The Plaza, tells Luxist. “It brings another five star element to the hotel.”

Guests of The Plaza will also be able to access the hotel’s Virtual Concierge Application through ICE Mobile, which is available for download through iTunes for the iPhone, Blackberry and Android handsets.

As convenient as it may be for guests, the high-tech functionality isn’t only for them. By funneling guest service requests through the ICE system, the hotel’s managers are also able to better track how well their business is running, and make the system more efficient. “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.”

Those guests who want a more human connection with their hotel experience need not fret, however. “[The iPads] are not meant to replace our concierge service and the personal touch we are known for,” says Krige. “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.”

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…

Mobile

The most common iPad problems and how to fix them

Several iPads on a table together.

Apple's iPad has consistently marked among the best tablets, and is considered to be a sort of trailblazer in the field in its own right. As a logical result, your first encounters with common tablet glitches are likely to be iPad glitches. If you're not sure what to do to fix your device, that's okay, as you have to start somewhere. Here are some somewhat common problems that we've found plague iPads again and again, as well as some related iPad troubleshooting advice. Take care and read through the issues related to your problem to get started troubleshooting your iPad.

Mobile

This iPad just got a rare discount — save $100 at Best Buy

Call of Duty: Mobile on the iPad (2022).

The standard Apple 10.9-inch iPad rarely sees a deep discount but that’s the case over at Best Buy at the moment. Normally priced at $449, you can buy one for just $349 for a limited time. A hefty saving of $100, this is one of the better iPad deals at the moment and worth checking out if you want a new tablet or you’re keen to buy someone a great gift. Here’s what the Apple 10.9-inch iPad has to offer.

Why you should buy the Apple 10.9-inch iPad
The Apple 10.9-inch iPad is a pretty good tablet for anyone who wants something straightforward and useful. It has an attractive 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone support so it looks great with whatever you’re doing, whether you’re browsing the internet, watching videos, or playing a game. It’s powered by the A14 Bionic chip with a 6-core CPU and 4-core GPU which is why the Apple 10.9-inch iPad easily joins the best iPads list for anyone seeking a great mid-range example. It’s easily capable of playing many games through Apple Arcade as well as being snappy when it comes to looking up YouTube videos and similar.

Mobile

Best iPad deals: Save on iPad Air, iPad Pro, iPad Mini for the New Year

iPad Pro 2020 Screen.

There's a tablet out there for almost everyone, with designs available to accommodate anything from kids to creative professionals. The Apple iPad is one of the most popular tablet lineups, with the best iPads offering a wide range of options and capabilities. If you’re in the market for a new iPad, there are some great iPad deals worth shopping right now. In fact, not only are iPads some of the best Apple deals currently taking place, but some of the best tablet deals as well. We’ve rounded up what we feel are the best tablet deals to shop at the moment. They include iPads, iPad cases and covers, and iPad accessories, so read onward for more details.
Apple iPad 10.2 (9th Gen) 64GB Wi-Fi -- $249, was $329

Apple's A13 Bionic chip is no M1 or M2, but it still offers 64-bit architecture and neural engine support for excellent performance. In other words, this 10.2-inch iPad is incredible value. It has a 10.2-inch Retina display, 64GB of storage, supports Touch ID and Apple Pencil (1st Gen), and it's size, plus all-day battery life make it an excellent choice for anyone with an on-the-go lifestyle.