At Aloft Hotels, Siri Can Control Your AC and Lights

At a select few Aloft Hotels, adjusting the air conditioning or turning off the lights is as easy as saying, “Hey, Siri!” Bloomberg reports the hotel chain has launched iPhone-based voice activation in its rooms in Boston and in San Jose, California (a stone’s throw from Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino).

The rooms have thermostats, lights, and more that can be accessed through your phone or the in-room iPad provided. You can set mood lighting to preset options designed for morning, night, and movie watching. While you’re at it, you can ask Siri to play you some music, check the weather, or find a good restaurant nearby, though you could do that anywhere else you carry your iPhone, too.

Aloft’s Silicon Valley and Boston hotels are also the company’s test sites for its other high-tech “Project Jetson” initiatives, like a robotic butler named Boltr, an emoji-based room service system, and a keyless system that lets you open your room with your phone.

However, there are still a few hurdles before making Aloft’s hotels truly Jetsons-tastic, including the fact that equipping every room with WiFi-based controls requires big upgrades in the location’s bandwidth. One day the system will be compatible with Android-based voice activation, according to Bloomberg, but for now, guests who haven’t hopped on the iOS train will have to stick with the iPad provided in each room.

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