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New Houston Hotel Introduces Bluetooth Stereo in Guestrooms

Where: 800 West Sam Houston Parkway [map], Houston, TX, United States, 77024

Hey there tech geeks: next time you find yourself in need of a hotel room in Houston, consider spending the night at the Hotel Sorella which will open on August 16. That's because the hotel promises to have a plug panel that includes bluetooth stereo for guests in-room--meaning they can play music from their iPhones or other Bluetooth-enabled devices through the rooms's TV speakers.

We got the tip from someone who works for the plug panel technology. Here's how it all went down:

I work for a hotel technology supplier and we are installing our first MediaHub panel with stereo Bluetooth at the Hotel Sorella in Houston. I know I've seen a few people chatting about plug panels. The new one going into the Hotel Sorella has a stereo Bluetooth interface so guests can stream music or any other audio through the TV speakers by using Bluetooth - no wires or cables. The catch: you have to pair an A2DP enabled device or one that will work with wireless speakers (not just a Bluetooth headset).

Ok, so what the heck is an A2DP enabled device and how do you know if you have one? Well if you have the iPhone 3G, that will definitely work here. A lot of Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson phones will work with this, as will Palm TREOs. Unfortunately, your first, second, or third generation iPod will not work with this feature. Still, you can just plug it into the panel.

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Tags: Hotel Video Tours / HotelChatter Reviews / Houston Hotels / → All Tags

We Came, We Saw, We Texas Two-Stepped at The Houstonian

Where: 111 North Post Oak Lane [map], Houston, TX, United States, 77024

This past weekend, we jetted down to Houston, Texas for an insanely over-the-top wedding that only a true Texas bride could pull off. It was large, it was lavish, it was ornate — and so was the hotel in which the wedding was held (which is also where we crashed for the weekend).

Check out the tour of our room at The Houstonian (apologies for the shaky camera work; we were fresh off the plane and all psyched up to hit the wedding festivities) and our thoughts on the "urban resort" — which is part of the Preferred Hotels and Resorts Group — from our two-day stay & play.

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