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When hotel high-tech goes bad - where is the user manual?

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Jun 22nd 2009 at 10:30AM

Several weeks ago, I wrote about technology being added to hotels that simply does not work. A different problem is when technology does work, but is too complicated for most guests to understand.

As an example - I recently stayed at a very nice $400/night boutique hotel. This place had it all; iPod alarm clocks, remote controlled curtains and 10 different light "zones". All these things sound really good on paper, but in reality they were a major pain in the backside.

Remote controlled curtains are awesome - if you can find the button to control them. An iPod compatible alarm clock is only going to wake you up if you can figure out how to program it, and dimmable light zones are useless if you are confronted with 10 switches and need to fiddle around with them just to find the right one.

Of course, all this technology also meant that the hotel used up all the outlets by the desk, so I had to unplug a light just to be able to charge my laptop.

Don't get me wrong - I love technology, and if I am spending $400 a night for a hotel, I expect a certain level of amenities that include more than just top notch toiletries. But if I arrive in my room at 11pm, I'd like to be able to set the alarm without having to get online to download the user guide. I'm sure anyone who has spent the night in a good hotel has spent several minutes trying to get the shower working.

My top annoyances with hotel high-tech are:

Overly complicated shower controls
Alarm clocks
WiFi that requires a password (that is not always provided at check-in)
Light switches without labels
TV without a channel guide lineup

If hotels plan to add more technology to their rooms, they need to design them with their guests in mind - simply adding more stuff isn't going to make anyone happy if the amenities go unused because nobody can operate them.

A steam generator in your bathroom is awesome, but if you are confronted with a panel with 9 buttons and no markings or instructions, you'll tend to be too afraid to be burned to try it out. So, if anyone from the hospitality world is reading this, how about printing a user manual for all those cool new toys?

Filed under: Hotels and Accommodations, Gadling Gear Review