Cupertino Hotel Adds Apple TVs to Guest Rooms

The trendy Aloft Hotel in Cupertino, which is located a mere two blocks from Apple's headquarters, has installed an Apple TV in each of its 123 rooms. Using the Apple TVs, hotel patrons can access television shows and movies via iTunes, and use Netflix and Hulu in addition to the Apple TV's other apps.

AirPlay is available for playing videos and music, and according to Square International, (via CNET) the company that installed Aloft's Apple TV system, the hotel can use the set-top boxes to provide guests with important information and access to the front desk.

The system can be customised to include your branding and images associated with the hotel. Additionally, you can integrate information about hotel services, including room service menus, the spa brochure, restaurant menus, shopping catalogues, local maps and city guides.

Our powerful, yet easy to use PC, Phone or Tablet management system allows Front Desk, Housekeeping or Engineering to use any web-enabled PC to enable / disable the system to act as an additional revenue stream, clear down all guest information with one click and even quickly and clearly see if a unit is offline.

appletv.jpgThe Apple TVs can be customized with iTunes accounts from any country and are wiped after each use to allow guests to access their private iTunes accounts.

Though the Apple TV is often referred to as Apple's "hobby" project because of its lack of popularity, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that more than two million of the devices had been sold during Q1 2013, an increase of 60 percent year over year.

Cook also reiterated that the Apple TV was an area of intense interest for Apple, saying "I tend to believe that there is a lot we can contribute in this space and we continue to pull the string and see where it leads us."

The Apple TV recently received a stealth update that added a smaller A5 chip to the device, but Apple is rumored to be working on a more substantial upgrade that could range anywhere from improved content and the inclusion of third party apps to a full blown Apple-branded television set.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
iPhone Car Key WWDC 2025

Apple Announces 13 Automakers Planning to Offer iPhone Car Keys

Friday June 27, 2025 11:42 am PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. During its WWDC 2025 keynote, Apple said that 13...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
anker power bank recall

PSA: Anker Recalls Multiple Power Banks Due to Fire Risk

Friday June 27, 2025 4:16 pm PDT by
Popular accessory maker Anker this month launched two separate recalls for its power banks, some of which may be a fire risk. The first recall affects Anker PowerCore 10000 Power Banks sold between June 1, 2016 and December 31, 2022 in the United States. Anker says that these power banks have a "potential issue" with the battery inside, which can lead to overheating, melting of plastic...
Chase Sapphire Reserve Apple Perk Feature

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Introduces New Perk for Apple Customers

Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by
Chase this week announced a series of new perks for its premium Sapphire Reserve credit card, and one of them is for a pair of Apple services. Specifically, the credit card now offers complimentary annual subscriptions to Apple TV+ and Apple Music, a value of up to $250 per year. If you are already paying for Apple TV+ and/or Apple Music directly through Apple, those subscriptions will...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...

Top Rated Comments

aristotle Avatar
160 months ago
No, I'm talking about the horrible look of the Apple TV interface, i.e. compared to the elegant look of the PS3 interface.
Your stating your opinion as if it was fact without giving any specifics. I don't have a problem with people having different tastes. What I do have a problem with is when people state their opinions/preferences as if they were "facts" agreed upon by the majority without giving any specific reasons or criteria.

I happen to like the UI of the AppleTV as it has continued to evolve over time. The Sony XMedia bar interface, however, has not changed much over the years. It is a set of icon menus with with hierarchical submenus items. I find it frustrating to use at times.

Contrast that with the current AppleTV UI, each program is represented by an Icon and all settings are under the "Settings" icon. There is no hierarchical menus cluttering up the screen. Once inside the Settings section, you navigate into another submenu as another "screen" which can be easily backed out of.

If we compare the configuration screens for networks, for example between the Sony Playstation and the Apple TV, the sony version is really frustrating to use if you want to customize an existing network connection for DNS settings. With the Apple TV, you select the connection and then you can chose among the different settings of the connection from that screen. To change the DNS on a connection on the PS3, you have to select the connection and then go through the setup wizard again for that connection in order to switch from a dynamic DNS to a static (manual) address.

I'd like to see a detailed explanation from you or alternatively, stop stating your "opinion" as if it were fact. Did you notice that nowhere did I directly state that the PS3 was "horrible"? I stated my feelings about different aspects of it with specific examples. You can say that you "don't like it" or "I think it sucks" or "I think it is horrible" all day long but if you say "it is horrible" then you are making a statement as if it were fact without providing any reasoning behind it.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RetepNamenots Avatar
160 months ago
So how much is MR being paid by this hotel?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aristotle Avatar
160 months ago
Could be, but compared to the elegance of the PS3 interface, the look of this Apple UI is truly horrible... where did the taste go?
Are you talking about the Netflix UI on the PS3? I happen to have Netflix on both my Apple TV 3rd gen and my PS3. I hate the UI for netflix on the PS3.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnurf Avatar
160 months ago
Gosh, that user interface is ugly...

You should try it. The interface makes sense for a device with a five-button remote. Best Netflix browser I've found on any device, too.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JasonElise1983 Avatar
160 months ago
My guess would be hotel advertisements. Possibly by turning on the apple tv, ads will load before the main apple tv menu. That's my guess

Sure... makes sense. But how do you go about customizing an tv? No 3rd part apps, no way into it... nothing. Curious to know if they worked with apple on development for it as maybe a test run.

-je
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
flash84x Avatar
160 months ago
Where's iOS 7?

What? Try in June during the WWDC Keynote.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)