If you didn’t know, now you know: The TV remote control is one of the dirtiest things in a hotel room, according to science, akin to the filthy tray tables on airlines for one very simple reason. Everyone touches it, but nobody really thinks to clean it. Now, Hilton has a solution—and it involves getting rid of remotes once and for all.
The hotel brand has announced it will put TV controls directly on your phone with the help of the Hilton Honors app, starting this week. You’ll be able to choose channels—as well as control room lighting and temperature settings, and even raise and lower the blinds—right from the app in the handful of hotels that have Hilton’s so-called Connected Room technology. While that’s only about 500 rooms globally so far, the company plans to hook up another “several thousand” by the end of this year, according to a statement. (For now, just ask your hotel directly if they have the tech.) As part of the rollout, the company has also inked a deal with Showtime to put programs like The Chi and Homeland on in-room TVs, which you can stream free of charge—no subscription required.
Hilton has recently made other tech-powered enhancements to its portfolio: That same app also allows guests to bypass traditional check in desks and use their phones as room keys at “more than 3,000” properties. Hey, the future we predicted in 2015 may finally be here.