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A New York hotel has launched what it claims is the world’s first emoji-only room service menu.
Text it, Get it (TiGi), which was launched by the Aloft Manhattan Downtown hotel last week, allows guests to text an emoji of what they want to the hotel’s front desk and “within minutes”, the item is delivered to the guest’s room.
Emojis are cartoon-like symbols used on smartphone-based instant messaging services such as Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp.
The initial launch of TiGi includes six speciality kits, with items that can be easily conveyed via emojis. To order, guests text the corresponding emojis from the in-room menu to the hotel’s dedicated TiGi number, including their room number in the text.
The kits, which start at $10 (£7) and are paid at final check-out, include ‘The Hangover’ (two bottles of vitamin water, Advil and two bananas), ‘The Munchies’ (Coca-Cola, Doritos, Snickers and a chocolate brownie) and the ‘Phone Charger’.
Brian McGuinness, global brand leader at Starwood’s Specialty Select Brands, which owns the Aloft brand, said: “At Aloft, we’re always looking for ways to shake up the hotel stay. We look to consumer behavior and think about how to integrate these trends into the Aloft experience.
“The rise of emoji was a logical next step, the perfect new wave of guest communications.”
Hotel Owner understands that Aloft, which owns several properties in Europe including the Aloft London Excel, plans to roll the service out to its hotels in Europe and Asia.
