Cooking software to hotel guests. Sunday, 22nd November 2009 Source : Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Guests get busy in the kitchen at Element Hotels with Nintendo DS and Personal Trainer: Cooking.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts and its new eco-chic brand, Element Hotels, today announced a partnership with Nintendo to provide Nintendo DS™ systems pre-loaded with Personal Trainer™: Cooking software to hotel guests.

The software, which acts as an interactive culinary coach, makes it easy for travelers to choose recipes, prepare shopping lists and cook meals in the comfort of their fully equipped in-suite kitchens. This is the latest in a series of initiatives being launched by Element Hotels to cater to eco- and health-conscious travelers looking to maintain a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle on the road.

Guests at all Element hotels have the option of checking out a complimentary hand-held Nintendo DS system that comes with a copy of the Personal Trainer: Cooking software. After selecting recipes based on cooking requirements such as calorie count, cooking time or skill level, guests can view ingredients, watch how-to videos and even set an on-screen timer. The intuitive software provides help every step of the way through voice-led instructions, text, images and video.

Users can choose from more than 245 recipes from a variety of regions around the world. The touch-screen controls of the Nintendo DS system let users browse recipes or mark ingredients to buy with a tap of the stylus. If your hands are busy with cooking, Personal Trainer: Cooking also accepts voice commands to continue to the next page, repeat a step or go back.

“We know that many of our guests, especially our longer stay guests, don’t necessarily want to eat out every night of the week, but they also don’t have the time to come up with recipes and create shopping lists,” said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President of Specialty Select brands for Starwood Hotels. “Providing our guests with this best-selling hardware and intuitive software that serves up healthy meal options at the touch of a button makes it easy for travelers to customize meals that please the palate in their own kitchens.”

To further promote whole, healthy living while traveling, every Element hotel also has an on-site, 24 hour a day pantry, Restore, which features an array of all-natural and local, when possible, ingredients, pre-prepared meals, snacks and beverages. In addition to fully-equipped in-suite kitchens, guests who want to prepare a meal in the great outdoors can take advantage of each hotel’s communal outdoor grilling areas.

A complimentary daily Rise breakfast buffet includes signature hot breakfast wraps and sandwiches, freshly baked breads, pastries, fresh fruits and yogurts, and a complimentary shuttle service takes guests to nearby grocery stores and local farmers markets, when possible.