Sheraton Hotels & Resorts is the first major hotel chain to feature Microsoft's Surface, the innovative computer that allows users to manipulate on-screen objects with their hands instead of a mouse.In August, Sheraton deployed Surface in the public spaces of five hotels, in what Sheraton's parent, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, said is a pilot program that could become chainwide.Surface looks like a 30-inch diagonal table. The machine is built from a standard Windows Vista personal computer, but inside, five cameras sense hand gestures and touch. Users can therefore move images or make them larger or smaller by sliding their fingers on the flattop surface—hence the computer's name.At present, Sheraton is offering guests three applications free of charge: gathering information on the local destination; playing music provided by Sheraton, through the Surface's loudspeakers; and finding information about other Sheraton properties.With its multi-user capability, Surface allows guests "to interact with each other and our hotels in a revolutionary way," said Sheraton senior VP Hoyt H. Harper II.However, there are limitations to what guests can do. For example, they cannot print information they find through Surface or make reservations.The hotels with Surface are the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, Sheraton Boston, Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Sheraton Seattle, and Sheraton Gateway San Francisco Airport.Originally published Oct. 20, 2008