Google Nest Hub offers hands-free hospitality for hotels

Google wants to make your next hotel stay that much more comfortable. It’s partnered with a few hotels to put its flagship smart display — the Nest Hub — into individual rooms with an experience tailored for the guest. In the hotel, you’ll have access to the usual voice commands. For example, you can play music, check the weather and browse local restaurants. In addition, the Nest Hub will offer customized hospitality: So you’ll be able to request towels, check hours for the pool, hear about special offers and more. 

Hotels can also offer surveys and checkout services through the Nest Hub, and since the hotel sets up the device, you won’t have to log in. Google will automatically delete any activities between guests and won’t store audio. 

The hotel version of the Nest Hub will be available starting Wednesday at a few select locations including Shelborne South Beach in Miami, Synergy Chelsea in New York, Hotel Zena in DC and Village Hotels in the UK. Google is supposedly working with more hotels to expand the rollout in the near future.

The Nest Hub is one of our favorite smart displays for your home. It combines a simple touchscreen with the always-listening capabilities of a smart speaker like the Nest Mini. You can watch YouTube videos on the screen and see more forecast details when you search for the weather. 

It’s also the only major smart display that doesn’t have a built-in camera. While this may be a drawback for some, that could provide reassurance if you want privacy and want to have hands-free help near your bedside. Google touts the lack of camera as a privacy bonus for the hotel integration as well.