Aloft Hotels launch emoji room service

As smart phones continue to increase their influence on our daily lives, a new phenomenon called “emoji room service” is now available in selected hotels in New York.

It is fine. For the rest of you, if you book with The Starwood Hotels & Resorts, they’ve got a service called Text it, Get it (TiGi) which lets you order room service packages, which basically require virtually no human interaction. Once emoji-based orders are placed, guests receive a confirmation message before their required goods arrive.

If you find yourself in the Aloft Hotel, NYC, and can’t be bothered to phone the front desk for room service (because that’s too much effort) then simply text them with emojis. This includes a “Hangover” package (for guests that embrace the city that never sleeps) and a “Munchies” package (for guests that, you know, never quite made it out of the room that night).

Whether you see emoji room service as further evidence of the emoji’s increasing tyrannical worldwide dominance at the tragic expense of the written word, as the apex of laziness, or simply as a gimmick, the idea will no doubt spread to other companies. The service aims to improve the hotel guest experience by letting you communicate with hotel staff the same way you communicate with your friends.

Brian McGuinness, global brand leader, specialty select brands, Starwood said, “At Aloft, we’re always looking for ways to shake up the hotel stay”.

The concept of ordering via emoji is not entirely new to Londoners: last month, we reported that you could now order gourmet burgers, drinks and sides to your door via new delivery service BurgerBurger, using just a few simple emojis.

“There’s a social vibe in the Aloft experience combining with tech innovation”.