Marriott Testing Wireless Charging Stations at Hotels in U.S.

Marriott is testing wireless charging in the lobbies of 29 of its hotels in the U.S. this month. Kube Systems’ portable charging stations using Qi technology are powering the test.

“Leisure and business travelers have struggled for power on the road as battery technology has not kept pace with the demands of larger screens, faster processors and more app-driven devices,” said Dave Weinstein, Vice President of Kube Systems. “A two-year development effort in collaboration with Marriott technologists has resulted in the KS Portable, a unique solution to charge virtually every mobile device on the market today, without the need for guests to carry cables or adaptors.”

Featuring a sleek, contemporary design, the portable chargers’ built-in connecters can simultaneously power up to six devices, covering all Apple, Android and Windows Mobile Devices. Qi wireless charging technology allows compatible smartphones to charge simply by resting on the KS Portable Qi transmitter, removing the need for cables and cutting the final cord that tethers devices – the power cord.

Since the launch of Marriott Hotels’ transformational journey with its Travel Brilliantly campaign in June 2013 – Marriott Hotels has been engaging guests, experts and influencers to join with the brand in co-creating the future state of travel by asking “How can we make travel more brilliant?”. The results are tangible with innovations including mobile check-in and checkout from anywhere, a mobile app for chatting between guests and property hosts and a healthy vending machine with fresh healthy food on demand. Marriott is also co-creating with unexpected partners like the MIT Mobile Experience Lab. Marriott and MIT students – future travelers – co-created Six Degrees to reinvent the hotel lobby as a social hub, using a mobile app to connect people with similar backgrounds and interests.