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

iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.5 With New Wallpaper, Screen Time Changes, Carrier Satellite Support for iPhone 13 and More

Monday May 12, 2025 10:06 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5, the fifth updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 come a little over a month after Apple released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. The iOS 18.5 update has a...
CarPlay Ultra Aston Martin

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation infotainment system via a software update in the coming...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

WSJ: Apple Weighing Price Hikes for iPhone 17 Lineup Without Blaming Tariffs

Monday May 12, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
Apple is considering raising prices for its upcoming iPhone 17 models set to release this fall, according to people familiar with the matter cited by The Wall Street Journal. The company reportedly aims to pair the potential price hikes with new features and design changes to justify the increased cost to consumers, rather than attributing them to U.S. tariffs on goods from China. The...
iPhone 12 Made in India

Trump Tells Tim Cook to Stop Building iPhones in India

Thursday May 15, 2025 2:21 am PDT by
President Donald Trump has asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to halt the company's manufacturing expansion in India, in a potential disruption of Apple's plan to shift iPhone production away from China. "I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday," Trump said during his state visit to Qatar, according to Bloomberg. "He is building all over India." "They [India] have offered us a deal where...
tvOS 18 Feature

Apple Releases tvOS 18.5

Monday May 12, 2025 10:01 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.5, the latest version of the tvOS operating system. tvOS 18.5 comes a little over a month after the launch of tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.5 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software. ‌Apple TV‌ owners who have...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.5

Monday May 12, 2025 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.5, the fifth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched last September. macOS Sequoia 15.5 comes a little over a month after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.4. Mac users can download the ‌‌‌macOS Sequoia 15.5‌‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run ...
apple music

Apple Music Gets New Transfer Tool to Make Switching From Spotify Easier

Wednesday May 14, 2025 5:17 pm PDT by
Apple this week introduced a new feature designed to allow prospective Apple Music users to import their saved music and playlists from third-party music services to Apple Music. The feature is either in an expanded testing phase or it has started rolling out, and it is available in Australia and New Zealand according to an Apple Support document. Signs of the transfer option first surfaced...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Expected This Week With These New Features

Monday May 12, 2025 7:20 am PDT by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple is expected to release iOS 18.5 to the general public this week. While the software update is relatively minor, it still includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones. Below, we recap everything new in iOS 18.5. Pride Wallpaper Apple recently announced its 2025 Pride Collection, including a new Apple Watch band, watch face,...

Top Rated Comments

aristotle Avatar
159 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
159 months ago
So how much is MR being paid by this hotel?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aristotle Avatar
159 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
159 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
159 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
159 months ago
Where's iOS 7?

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