Ever finish a day of meetings and travel and just not want to talk to anyone? Ordering room service has never been so colorful, so graphic, or less (blessedly) interactive thanks to Aloft Hotels’ new Aloft TiGi (Text it. Get it.) Emoji Room Service, the world’s first emoji-only room service menu. Business travellers at the newly opened Aloft Manhattan Downtown – Financial District in New York City can simply text an emoji of what they want to the hotel’s front desk and within minutes, the delivery is made.

The Aloft TiGi Emoji Room Service Menu will launch with six specialty kits, each with essentials that can easily be conveyed via emoji. To order, guests simply text the corresponding emojis from the in-room Aloft TiGi Emoji Room Service Menu to the hotel’s dedicated TiGi number and include their room number. The hotel then confirms the order via text and quickly runs it up. Kits start at US$10 and are included in guests’ final check out bills.

“At Aloft, we’re always looking for ways to shake up the hotel stay,” says Brian McGuinness, global brand leader, Starwood’s Specialty Select Brands. “We look to consumer behavior and think about how to integrate these trends into the Aloft experience. The rise of emoji was a logical next step, the perfect new wave of guest communications.”

The debut of Aloft’s TiGi Emoji Room Service represents the latest forward-looking milestone for Aloft, Starwood’s innovative, tech-forward incubator brand. Aloft made history in August 2014 when it became the first major hotel brand to hire a robot, Botlr, for both back and front of house duties.  Other innovations include SPG Keyless, the world’s first truly mobile, keyless entry system; piloting Apple TV services; mobile-controlled guest experiences, and more. Most recently, Aloft announced it is testing innovations such as Mobile Controlled Lighting and Wake Up Preferences as well as Virtual Reality experiences in its Concept Rooms at Global Headquarters for rollout within the next year. www.starwoodhotels.com