Swiss hotel bedside table with USB power-point, VGA and audiovisual inputs
Flickr user Moody75 found this fantastic console in the beside table in a room at the Zurich Crowne Plaza, sporting AV inputs for his laptop or pocket-player, a USB power-port, and an HDMI and VGA port so he could put his laptop screen onto the room's big TV. Link
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I think the HDMI in makes this a total win.
Very progressive of them.
I guess they know that their movie/smut rentals are going to tank.
Same console, same inputs (even HDMI), slightly different form factor is found at all Hyatt Place hotels along with a 42" LCD tv. It's built into the bookshelf right next to the TV and next to the workstation in the room. They are fabulous hotels, and not very expensive. www.hyattplace.com . 104 locations in the U.S.
Now THIS is classy!
That is fantastic.
I stayed at the Marriott near the airport in Irvine CA last week, and the cabinet that held the LG flat panel TV had a console that, if not identical to this one, was very similar. I don't know if the TV was LCD or plasma because I never turned it on in the two nights I was there.
As #6 said, this is now standard issue at newer Marriotts; book a "Room that Works" room. The irony of the name is there, but it's used in the "business travel" sense of work, and is widespread these days. As a current Marriott employee (full disclosure;) I think it's one of the coolest things they've done.
Very classy, redefined the enjoyment of hotel movies. But well all know hotels are for this purpose:
www.ibeatyou.com/competitions/v/5
Certain Sheratons have them too.
#3, Hyatt Place is a pretty nice "place", I had my expectations thoroughly exceeded. The TV feed there is truly HD (not some horribly compressed media server stuff).
#6, keep up the good work maintaining the Marriott chain as the best business traveler hotel.
I didn't see that in my hotel last year when I went to Basel.
I stayed at the Holiday inn on King in Toronto, ON last week and they had something similar. It also had ethernet and phone jacks, as well as more input options for the TV.
Really a good idea I think, and very convenient. I'll have to start carrying a VGA cable in my laptop bag now. It would be even better if they included them in the room.
The really clever part is the bartender can switch your computer screen onto the screens in the hotel bar to share with the patrons your online escapades.
MotorZen (#12):
I hope the bartender asks me first.
I would imagine deathly dull HR meetings would be better attended if they were held in a bar. It could make power point almost tolerable.
we are architects and are installing these in some new hotels in london... they are a good piece of kit.. except they are super-plastic and pretty ugly close up. if they did a better bezel they would do much better, also why don't they integrate the rj45/cat5 outlet that we need to install for guest use. by the way that is a usb-power on the right which is a nice touch.
why so ugly!?
#14
We are lighting and retail display manufacturers and would happily make these up for you any way you like. I don't want to spam so not sure how to establish contact here.
A nice stainless steel or anodised aluminium version would be good, presumably something to match the light and power accessories.
I stayed in the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong in January (after the massive renovation), and they had a similar panel. Major changes there were:
- No HDMI
- 3 (!) USB power adapters
They also had Cisco IP phones in the room and used the screens to full advantage.
Had I known I would have drastically changed what I packed, but everything worked perfectly.
Nice. Really nice as opposed to the WI Dells water park I stayed at recently which locked down the TV completely. You could plug stuff into the back but they had managed to keep you from opening the menu, even with a physical button.
Really cool to see them taking a step towards openness and customer convenience (something which almost never happens in the TV/audiovisual industry).
Hmmm! I wonder if there are adults toys that plug into the usb port. I know, I know mind in the gutter. What else would be necessary in bed anyway. I surely won't be doing a power point presentation.
Don't most hotels have these now?
The actual flickr page says the panel is at the desk, not the nightstand.