Hotels Add More Plugs for Connected Travelers
Jennifer Billock May 29, 2017
Put a plug in it: Hotels are wising up and introducing more convenient plugs into rooms.
In this tech-forward society, it’s always a letdown to check in to a hotel, get ready to charge your devices, and find that there are not enough plugs – or even ones conveniently placed. Luckily, hotels are catching on to the needs of their technologically savvy guests and introducing new options for plugging in.
“Research suggests a single traveler may carry upwards of three devices when they travel,” Kate Ashton, senior vice president of brand operations at Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, told USA Today. “The last thing you want to do when you arrive at your hotel room after a long day of traveling is search for hidden power outlets to charge up those devices only to find they’re not in convenient spots — or there aren’t enough.”
In response, Wyndham is renovating old guest rooms and adding more plugs, plus including easily accessible ones in new rooms. Holiday Inns are doing the same, and have just introduced a “Welcome Nook” right by the door with a place to hang a coat, leave keys, and charge devices. Many other brands are following suit, adding USBs to lamps and desks in individual rooms and throughout public spaces, like in sofa arms or in fitness centers.
“Our goal is to have a power source within arm’s reach of every area of the room where a guest may be, as well as ample sources available in public areas,” Steven Wolf, director of architecture and design for Radisson RED, told USA Today.
[Photo: Shutterstock]
plug -> socket. Or "outlet" as I guess you say over there. I still carry a power-strip extension. It will be a long while before all hotels get their sockets organised.
How about buying decent quality receptacles instead of the cheapest possible ones? A hotel outlet gets ~300x more use & cycles than a home one. I've encountered countless hotels which had outlets which were completely worn out, leaving my chargers dangling with the live plug blades exposed (US) or pulls out enough to break the connection, if the charger can hang on at all. I've resorted to carrying a small international power strip to hold the plug in and let the chargers sit on the desk.
I don't understand how this is some sort of revelation to the hotel industry in 2017. What I find most amazing is the number of older hotels that haven't made plug upgrades and the number of new hotels that don't have well placed outlets. I actually avoid booking certain hotels for this reason.
Good thinking on hotels that do this.
No, they are not adding more plugs, they are adding more outlets. A plug is what you plug into the outlet.