I hate having to use my phone to control things, whether it be music playback, lighting, thermostats, etc. To use it as a remote that requires picking up my phone, unlocking it, going to the correct app, waiting for the app to load, then telling it what I want it to do. With a dedicated remote, I pick it up, one button & done. I When I'm "home", the phone goes on the charger and that's the last I use it for the day. The Roku remote "just works". Power, volume, mute, and Roku controls all on the same remote. And it does a great job figuring out which type of TV is connected to the Roku.

There's also the fact that hotel remotes (and what people do with them) are disgusting. I remember troubleshooting an IPTV system for a client who had a hotel. Lots of problems. We finally get it working (so we thought) and left debugging on and checked the logs in the morning. We go through the logs, everything looks good. Until we came to a room which had rented a movie. Out of decorum, let's just say it's something you wouldn't watch with your children around and the remote's functions got a lot of use that night. Ick.