UK Hotels to offer iMacs in Every Room

City Inn Group, the UK hotel chain, has taken a huge step forward which we can only hope other chains will follow. They are putting an iMac in every room of its hotels in both Manchester and London.

Each guestroom is equipped with an iMac that offers high speed internet, access to iLife and Office software, the possibility for video conferencing with the built-in iSight camera and a high definition 20-inch screen. Every iMac also functions as a DVD and CD player, a radio and a TV, so guests are provided with an integrated cornucopia of media possibilities.

This has come to pass through a partnership between City Inn hotels and a software solutions provider, DirectStreams. They have tailored the high-quality, high-functionality of the iMac for the hotel environment.

Hotel guests will be able to load files using a USB stick, work on them and export them to the sick again. Security is assured by Faronic’s “Deep Freeze” software; this deletes any data which is saved to the machine, and returns the computer to its original state each time the iMac is shut down.

Guests will also have access to 38 television channels, 23 radio stations as well as a DVD/CD player with a wide offering of music and film available through the guest services desk.

By the way, there is no additional charge for any of this.

Huw O’Connor, managing director of City Inn said: “City Inn is a new innovative brand…..It is increasingly the case that neither the modern home or the modern office can function efficiently without a computer and we believe, that in the future, the same may well be said about the hotel room.”

Thank you, Mr. O’Connor. Let’s hope that the other major chains are paying attention.