Apple’s Enterprise efforts have been met with harsh criticism lately on the business front, but the company’s inroads to the luxury hospitality sector have been impressive. While complaints about inattention to potential security flaws and problems with Exchange integration have gotten much of the technology press’ attention, Apple’s Enterprise Sales Group has been quietly working to install its computers everywhere in the hospitality industry, according to an AppleInsider report.
Building on the success of its Starbucks integration with the WiFi iTunes Store, Apple developers are now working to build similar location sensing services for ordering drinks, accessing reminders and messages, and other services related to a guest’s stay in hotels and on cruise ships.
According to the AppleInsider report, hotels have actually asked for Apple’s help in bringing iTunes-style simplicity to their luxury accommodations. Many hoteliers are “struggling to reach the digital demographic” and “to differentiate themselves,” explained Bradley Walker of Nanonation in a seminar on Macs in the hospitality industry. “You’ve been to the Apple Store,” Walker said. “If you could recreate that in a hotel, that would be a very attractive place to stay.”
