Search Blog

About Marc Budie

During my day job, I am technology director at Quadriga, the trusted partner to many of the world’s leading hotels. I am charged with...

Read More about Marc...

Categories

Archive for the ‘Guest’ Category

Are hoteliers making the most of their captive audience?

Posted on: 28-Jul-2010
Source: BBC.co.uk

Source: BBC.co.uk

As I mentioned last month, we recently commissioned some independent research into the habits of UK business travellers and it seems that as many as 68% of respondents do little more than work, sleep and channel hop in their rooms.

This got me thinking, surely this reinforces for hoteliers what a great opportunity they have to promote facilities to this captive audience, who are already spending a significant amount of time using the in-room TV.  The summer of sport  for example, provides a great platform for hoteliers to run themed promotions around key events, via the in-room TV, to entice guests to experience other services within the hotel.

Imagine if you could provide information on where the Tour de France or Golf Open is showing in the hotel, flag up a special offer on golf lessons, or highlight a ‘Taste of France’ dining promotion, via the TV.  By using the TV to effectively market these leisure and restaurant facilities, hoteliers can create additional revenues. In parallel with this, they also engage and improve communication with their guests. 

It’s certainly food for thought!

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Communication, Guest, Hotels, Technology | No Comments »

Social TV – taking guest satisfaction to the next level

Posted on: 09-Jun-2010

Social tv

I recently read an article by Richard Kastelein discussing why he feels that social TV was born to be in the hotel industry. The piece outlines how technology is a great way to get guests interacting with each other potentially asking other guests for recommendations or suggestions of things to do in the hotel or local area, via a hotel social network. And I would have to agree with Richard.

Over the past 10 years, we have seen the role of the in-room TV evolve from being just a box through which to watch movies and listen to the radio, to a means of pushing information about hotel services and facilities to guests downloading content and providing an alternative revenue stream. Indeed, we are already working with a number of hotels to enable them to offer this enhanced level of service, via our guest communications portal, Sensiq.

For the lucrative 25-45 age group that hotels are targeting, technology is no longer a luxury but a necessity and when staying in a hotel, they expect that little bit extra. With social networking very much on the rise among this age group, as a way of interacting, sharing and recommending anything from the best bars to the latest films, transferring this capability to the hotel rooms seems to be a logical step forward.

And I think there are potential benefits of this type of application to hoteliers. Not only would hotels be providing guests with superior services and social TV content, but they potentially have the opportunity to build demographic profiles (subject to the usual data protection legislation) that could complement data from their loyalty schemes, providing more opportunities to increase guest satisfaction and revenues.

But hey that is just my opinion, and I would be interested to hear your views, and experiences, of social TV. Feel free to comment below.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Communication, Entertainment, Guest, Hotels, Interactive, Portal, Promotion, Technology, Television | No Comments »

Business travellers favour hotel experience over home comforts

Posted on: 28-May-2010

To ensure we keep our finger firmly on the pulse of the needs of today’s hotel guest, we recently commissioned some independent research into the habits of 1,000 UK business travellers – which threw up some interesting findings.

One of the statistics that stood out was that 86% of business travellers would prefer to spend the night in a hotel rather than at home, before an early meeting. More valued “me” time and the ability to work without distractions were the key reasons for this choice.

This is a huge percentage and reaffirms the place of the hotel as not only a place to get away from it all, but to work efficiently. Indeed, we are seeing our hotel customers place growing importance on technology and in-room communications to provide the ultimate guest experience and to potentially develop new revenue streams.

Watch this space for more results!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Guest | No Comments »

Hotels magazine

Posted on: 05-Mar-2010

Last month I had a very interesting chat with Adam Kirby, associate editor at Hotels Magazine. We mainly discussed the state of the industry and the issues effecting hotels both in Europe and the United States.   

We discussed some of the main challenges facing hotels in keeping up with guest’s technology expectations and some possible solutions for these:

  • Can hotels really deliver a ‘home from home’ experience?

With the ever-increasing speed of technology change – and the subsequent costs incurred to respond to these changes – is it realistic for hotels to achieve the ‘home from home’ guest experience? Hotels have always wanted to be better than home and to respond to evolving guest expectations and behavior, but can they afford to update their in-room technology on an on-going basis – especially considering the current economic conditions?

  • How do hotels meet the expectation of free internet?

Laptop and broadband access is a must-have for business travellers and there is a growing expectation that basic internet access should be for free.  Hoteliers need to consider investing in fibre networks or optimise their current lines and achieve better bandwidth management.

  • Technology that works

Guests want to have a wider choice of more relevant content, including access to HD entertainment and an intuitive and easy way of accessing it.  Hotels are keen to deliver this, but they need to feel confident that the technology works and is robust and reliable.

We are working with our customers to try to address these challenges. Above all, hoteliers need to feel confident that their supplier is taking care of their investment and understands their business needs and objectives.  It isn’t about providing the latest ‘wow’ technology – it’s about understanding how to use technology to enable hotels to deliver a differentiated guest experience in a manner that makes commercial sense.

If you have a spare five minutes I would recommend looking at Adam’s blog, he raises some really interesting points.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Guest, Internet | No Comments »

Business travellers get animated

Posted on: 16-Feb-2010

We’ve just released details of the most watched films and listened to albums of 2009 in 200,000 hotel rooms across Europe, and it makes for interesting reading…

The top ten watched movies through Quadriga’s Genesis internet and entertainment platform in 2009 were:

  1. Madagascar Escape 2 Africa
  2. Quantum of Solace
  3. Angels & Demons
  4. Yes Man
  5. Bolt
  6. The Hangover
  7. Tropic Thunder
  8. Monsters Vs. Aliens
  9. Kung Fu Panda
  10. Bride Wars

And the top ten listened to audio albums through Quadriga’s Genesis platform in 2009 were:

  1. Beyonce, I Am Sasha Fierce
  2. Kings of Leon, Only By The Night
  3. Mariah Carey, The Ballads
  4. Radio 1’s Live Lounge
  5. Pink, Funhouse
  6. Michael Jackson, Dangerous
  7. Roxette, 20 Greatest Songs
  8. Coldplay, Parachutes
  9. R&B Love Songs 2008
  10. 100 Piano Classics

Comedy and animation certainly seem to be the overriding criteria for business travellers when they choose a film, with action thrillers coming a close second. When it comes to music, the divas are leading the way with a bit of rock thrown in for good measure.

I’m not much of a cartoon fan myself to be honest, but Quantum of Solace tops the list of my favourite films of 2009, alongside Star Trek.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Content, Digital, Entertainment, Guest, Hotels, Internet, Technology | No Comments »

Sensiq, the intelligent guest portal

Posted on: 18-Dec-2009

Sensiq-original_Ambilight

You may remember us unveiling our next generation technology concept at HTNG Lisbon, back in October. We’ve been busy talking to current customers, other hoteliers and industry analysts in the meantime, and their feedback has been hugely positive. We’re also seeing more column inches devoted to the trend towards more internet content being delivered through the television.

Today, we’re formally launching our new guest communications portal, named Sensiq. You can find a video and lots of information about it over at the Quadriga website.

Our first two Sensiq hotels are up and running in the UK, with more being rolled out in other European territories in the New Year. If you’re interested in discussing the portal and its potential to transform the guest experience, do feel free to contact me directly at marc.budie@quadriga.com.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Communication, Content, Guest, Hotels, Next generation, Portal, Technology | No Comments »

“Informative” hotel room TV important to British travellers…and hoteliers?

Posted on: 07-Dec-2009

An interesting piece of research caught my eye last week which revealed that almost two-thirds of British travellers want to use their hotel room TV to access local information including weather updates, tourist attractions, restaurants and bars.

This is exactly consistent with the feedback we’re getting from hoteliers. Their guests expect their in-room TV to deliver more than a selection of movies and TV shows, and an internet-based system – with an intuitive, familiar interface – is the logical means of providing the additional content.

Yet, the article fails to point out the potential opportunities of such a system for hoteliers, in terms of the financial benefits of having increased guest satisfaction and greater loyalty and the creation of new potential commercial opportunities, where the TV can be used to promote and sell hotel facilities and services and drive business objectives.

I’d argue, therefore, that revolutionising the content delivered to travellers is just as important to hoteliers themselves.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Communication, Content, Entertainment, Guest, Hotels, Internet, Television | No Comments »

Microsoft Surface at HITEC

Posted on: 29-Jun-2009
Source: www.hftp.org

Source: www.hftp.org

I attended HITEC 2009 in Anaheim last week and the Surface demo on the Microsoft stand caught my eye.

Microsoft Surface is a nifty touch-screen table-top style computer that responds to natural hand gestures. It’s being used in schools and restaurants as well as in hotels, and helps people to interact with digital content in a very intuitive way. This type of truly interactive technology really engages the customer, helping to deliver a great guest experience. It is already helping to increase revenues in a few Intercontinental, Sheraton and Hotel 1000 locations in the US.

Applications available now include a virtual concierge service which provides local restaurant and shopping recommendations, information about nearby attractions and maps; a virtual wine bar that shows food and wine pairings for guests to try; and a customer loyalty program aimed at generating information on guest preferences for the purposes of direct mail and promotions activity.

Guests simply move their hands across the screen to explore the content – whether maps, or menus – giving them all of the information they need about the hotel and surrounding area, literally at their fingertips.

It’s great to see technology being used as an enabler to deliver a practical – but also fun – experience to hotel guests. In my view, it has huge potential.

Check out the videos at www.surface.com for more information.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Digital, Entertainment, Guest, Hotels, Internet, Technology | No Comments »

How much are people prepared to pay for digital content?

Posted on: 12-Jun-2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

I was fascinated to read some new research, commissioned by media law firm, Wiggin, which suggests that domestic users would be happy to pay up to £26 per month for digital entertainment content that is currently available as free or pirated material.

Some of the key findings are as follows:

  • When purchasing from ISPs, email and internet access are by far the most essential services – something that we’ve identified as an important trend among hotel guests, particularly business travellers.
  • Males aged 20-34 are willing to pay the most for digital entertainment content. I can identify with this – like many men, I’m always one of the first to buy geeky new things.

I too have noticed an increasing demand from consumers who want to watch internet content on their TV screens at home, underlining the importance of digital content and increased bandwidth. This demonstrates the importance of the internet – not just in the office or study, but as a central part of our home entertainment. It has massive implications for the hotel industry as internet content becomes a vital part of the fixtures and fittings in the hotel room of the future.

It makes fascinating reading for hoteliers grappling with guest demands for more internet-based entertainment options as well as payTV services. It would be great to see similar research carried out among a group of regular hotel users, to help judge the importance of digital content and the price they are prepared to pay for it.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Digital, Entertainment, Guest, Hospitality, Hotels, Internet, Technology | No Comments »

Welcome to the Quadriga Blog

Posted on: 15-May-2009

The digital revolution is creating a new generation of internet-savvy consumers who expect more sophisticated and varied entertainment options. Some in the hotel industry view that as a threat, but I see it as an opportunity.

Here, I share my thoughts on technology developments, consequent changes in user behaviour and ways in which hoteliers can benefit.

Please feel free to leave your comments – whether good, bad or indifferent – and I will do my best to respond in a timely fashion.

Marc Budie

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Branding, Broadband, CRM, Communication, Community, Connectivity, Content, Convergence, Digital, E-commerce, Entertainment, Guest, High definition, Hospitality, Hotels, IP, Information, Intelligence, Interactive, Internet, Media, Mobile, Network, Next generation, Portal, Promotion, Technology, Television, Wired, Wireless | No Comments »