Following Marriott's Lead, Starwood's Aloft Pilots an In-Room Streaming Service


Skift Take

Consider this the eventual next evolution of making your hotel room a real home away from home.

Starwood's tech-forward select-service brand, Aloft Hotels, is following in its soon-to-be-parent company's footsteps with its newest pilot program. This week, the brand announced it is testing out a new media streaming solution from TeleAdapt at the 188-room Aloft New Orleans Downtown. With RoomCast Powered by Chromecast, hotel guests can stream all of their favorite media from Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and more, directly onto their guest room TV without having to download an app or sign into their accounts. Last June, Marriott International announced a partnership with Netflix whereby guests at select properties can sign into their existing Netflix accounts using the Netflix app on Internet-connected TVs. It marked the first time a hotel brand allowed its guests direct access to Netflix and by the end of this year, all of its U.S. properties are expected to have this in-room technology available. Aloft's streaming technology, however, doesn't require guests to sign into their accounts or to enter any personal information. Each room in the pilot p