New digital technology has changed how we like to be entertained and informed and consumer brands are turning more and more to online media to help them reach their audiences.

Considering this,  we believe that a hotel’s guest communication and entertainment system represents a real  opportunity as a new digital advertising medium….

Why?

In a hotel room the guest is virtually a captive audience – research indicates that the hotel guest is less likely to get distracted whilst watching the TV and is more likely to watch TV commercials.

In fact, it is a proven fact that of those that own a DVR, people are very likely to fast-forward through commercials whilst viewing programmes at home.

Additionally, when you consider that as an example, Quadriga has digital systems installed in over 210,000 guest rooms, this presents a considerable captive audience to potential advertisers…

And this in turn provides a new potential revenue opportunity for the hotel…

On the face of it, this looks very exciting, however we need to ensure that any concerns of the hotelier are met…

Hotels – rightly so – will be concerned to protect their guests; to ensure that the brands advertised are appropriate, and that the guest is not irritated by the advertising. Any advertising should be discrete and should not impact the overall guest experience.  Like any new concept or service, any advertising would need to be trialled to monitor impact on guest behaviour and guest satisfaction.

Handled with care, we think this is a great opportunity, for brands looking for new communication channels, for the advertising industry – and for the hotelier….

Hotel TVs are watched by such a wide variety of consumer profiles. From the jet-setting business professional to the family enjoying time in a resort to the culture loving city break enthusiasts –demographics most advertising specialists can only dream of.  That’s what we think anyway…what do you think?

I think hyper-connectivity could fundamentally reframe the nature of the guest stay, redefine the hotel room, as well as enhance the guest experience. At its heart is a need to be always switched ‘on’ – to live in the personal, inter-connected, interactive, and globally accessible world of now. It could mean the guest experience becomes less about the hotel and more about ‘my’ experience. This will mean the most important factor of the guest experience becomes a seamless user experience as well as the provision of new technologies. It could also mean that the room is no longer the hotel’s room but my world: an extension of ‘my’ home, ‘my’ business, ‘my’ personal life and ‘my’ social life. The role of the Guest TV could be less focused around hotel defined content, but increasingly around ‘my’ content or apps – and becomes less of a hotel branding device and more an extension of ‘my’ digital personality.  We already live in a world where the in-room TV is considered as another ‘device’, as guests digitally multi-task with ‘my’ PC and ‘my’ smart phone. And most profoundly, it could mean that the guest’s relationship with the hotel can endure long after their stay.

Quadriga is wrestling with the challenges of hyper-connectivity right now, and creating some really interesting solutions for the hospitality industry. But we’re not arrogant enough to believe we have all the answers. And we’re definitely open to very different thoughts and fresh points of view. Challenge us, provoke some new perspectives, and refocus the debate – so let’s get some discussion going.

There’s no doubt that 3D technology is an emerging technology. In a recent article in Hospitality Magazine, Quadriga’s Roger Taylor discussed how historically, guests enjoyed facilities in a hotel that were unavailable to them at home. For example, in the 1970s when most households were still watching TV in black and white, many hotels had invested in colour. Again, years before Sky TV became common place in UK living rooms, scheduled content and movies were available in hotels. Today, it seems that the acceleration of consumer technology has meant that many travellers now own sophisticated entertainment systems at home that are difficult, not to mention costly, for hoteliers to match. To read the full article click here

For the more forward- thinking hotels, 3D delivers a way to bring back some of that old in-room excitement – and can be easily achieved with a little investment. Although clearly the two things that will drive the future success of 3D TV are available content and ease of use. We don’t feel this is far away. Its why we recently announced our plans working with Samsung Electronics, to develop a 3D video on-demand solution specifically designed for the hospitality sector through our Sensiq platform. In an exciting partnership, we are set to deliver a 3D in-room experience that will enable guests to watch selected 3D content on-demand. A joint solution with LG is set to follow shortly and we also work today with Philips to bring a stunning 3D cinematic viewing experience to in-room entertainment via its Cinema TV in 21:9 format.

It’s really exciting to be at the frontier of technological advancements in the hospitality sector. I wonder what new in-room technology we will be talking about in 10 or even 20 years time…..it would be great to hear your views!

I think the ability to view and manage a wide variety of digital content on personal PCs, consumer electronics products and mobile devices is a challenge that many hoteliers will have to overcome – soon. The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) offers one solution. It is a consumer technology with the potential to allow guests to watch ‘brought-in’ personal content via the guest TV. It is an industry-wide standard for sharing data on a home-network, and there has been an unprecedented level of growth in the number of DLNA Certified TVs during the first quarter of 2011 – yet it has not yetbeen widely adopted by the hospitality industry.

According to the DLNA, there are more than 4,000 certified TV models available and total shipments of connected DLNA TVs in 2015 are expected to reach 138 million worldwide. These figures almost guarantee that DLNA will become a prominent technology in the hospitality sector.

What steps do I think hotels should take? They will certainly need to have a robust Wi-Fi service to support the streaming of content from guest devices. They should also look to partner with an established and experienced integrator to help navigate through the various complexities and challenges and hotels need to be sure to choose the right partner. Expertise is needed to understand the expectations of the guest to provide the necessary network and infrastructure, appropriate communications platforms and relevant TV content. Getting this right will ensure that hotels maximise the potential return on investment they are looking for. What do you think? I would be interested to hear your views about this exciting technology and its impact on the hotel industry.

We have always believed that technology is central to what drives guest revenues for hotels and a two day internet and entertainment bundle will support this further. It’s a win-win situation, with additional revenues for the hotel as well as satisfied guests who feel they have received a good deal. Each bundle will include a superb choice of on-demand entertainment content and unlimited use of the internet service for a two day period, making a stay at the hotel that more enjoyable.

Initial results have been encouraging from trial hotels and we are continuing to monitor performance as we roll out to more sites. We plan to roll out a series of new and varied bundle options across 2012, encouraging more guest revenue opportunities. Watch this space!