Making a smart choice

AccomNews Tuesday, December 10, 2013

0 9 minutes read

When you write for the accommodation industry you find that you can never really go on holiday. Wherever you stay you will find yourself studying the door locks, looking for evidence of bed bugs and assessing everything from the mini bar to light fittings.

Although I must confess that I am somewhat of a late night TV addict who has a wide-screen TV located on the wall at the end of my bed at home, so the first thing I rate when I enter a guest room is naturally the television.

In today’s world where 90% of people seem to have similar late night telly addictions, you’ll be hard-pressed to encounter a guest who doesn’t do the same thing.

Recently I found myself staying in a very lovely suite at a very lovely 4½ star property in Brisbane. All was going well until I caught a glimpse of the television they’d installed in the room; the smallest, most awkwardly placed television set known to man, plonked on the coffee table in the corner of the living area.

This got me thinking about our expectations as guests, are they too high? What size and type of television do guests really need in their rooms? Perhaps the general population has unrealistic expectations but what is the right balance between guest expectation and guest room standards?

Paul Yardley is the managing director of Yardley Hospitality, a company that has served the hospitality industry since 1999 supplying high quality industry specific goods; he has provided Australian hotels with everything from TVs and docking stations to white goods, small appliances and cleaning products. Mr Yardley certainly has his finger on the industry pulse, having seen every trend come and go over the years. His wisdom has developed over a long history of knowing what needs to be supplied to the industry and understanding what guests want from their accommodation providers.

Mr Yardley suggests that the size of your guest room TV is definitely an important factor when it comes to guest satisfaction and although size is partly dependent on the dimensions of the room and the distance from where the TV is positioned in relation to the guest, trends are larger screen sizes, smart TVs, connectivity and sound.

Amazon suggests that to get the best picture quality from your TV you need to have perfect dimensions; this is just a matter of simple math! The right TV dimensions are based on the viewing distance: the distance between the television and where your guests would normally sit when watching. The measurement of this distance should be divided by three, so if your guests will be sitting 120 inches away from the television this gives you a minimum TV screen size of 40 inches. As a rule of thumb a 40-42 inch TV should be an ideal size for most smaller or budget hotels/motels but for larger and luxury hotels I would suggest that nothing smaller than a 46-55 inch TV should be considered. Buy larger if you want to get the maximum wow factor.

Size gives that initial wow factor but for the accommodation provider size isn’t everything when they need to decide what TVs to purchase; there are many other issues regarding hospitality TVs to consider. There has never been a better time than now to buy a new TV, just a few years ago the main decision apart from size was whether to buy a LCD flat screen or a plasma… Now there is much more choice and many more considerations: there are 3D and smart TVs to choose from for a start. More and more of us are purchasing smart TVs or IPTV (Internet protocol television) for our homes; they are currently outselling normal TVs in the consumer market. Smart TVs are simply TVs with Internet access, some with limited Internet access but others that allow you to browse the Internet just like a computer. Reminiscent of the smartphone that we all know, love and can not seem to live without, a smart TV offers a number of Internet connected activities that normal TVs do not have; such as, apps, media streaming and games.

Some also offer Skype and even come equipped as an IPTV, which is a type of Internet video that allows a continuous stream of video via the Internet to the TV. In addition, some smart TVs use a system called DLNA (digital, living, network, alliance) this allows you to stream media from a personal computer or phone through the smart TV without the use of a USB, so that guests can play their own media (music or movies) through the guest room TV.

The most important feature of a smart TV though is the ability to watch video on demand. If the domestic TV market is soon to be changed beyond recognition, does this mean that the accommodation industry needs to be part of this revolution? It certainly sounds like it. Smart TVs are well worth considering for your accommodation property because, as they become more commonplace in the domestic market, your guest’s expectations will soar. It’s always a benefit to stay ahead of the game.

Let us pause for one second though before you get too excited and jump headfirst into the smart TV trend, there are a few important issues to consider. For instance, does your accommodation have the Internet capability and speed that is required to support smart TVs?
This could be a huge stumbling block and not just for those accommodations in more remote areas but due to Australia’s sub par Internet speeds – even city-based accommodations can fall behind in this respect. Obviously if you have dozens or even hundreds of smart TVs in your property, all requiring high-speed Internet, your Internet connection needs to be working at the optimum level. Another issue that should be considered is the use of Skype on your smart TVs; the presence of an in room camera always belies the possibility that someone could spy on you or record you and this is very alarming indeed as no guest – reality show addict or not – wants their private antics to end up on YouTube!

There has also been some discussion about the privacy and Internet safety of smart TVs or a lack thereof. If you are using Facebook or online banking via your smart TV then passwords and information could potentially be shared from one guest to another or stolen by hackers if strict measures are not in place to protect guests.

If accommodation providers stick to TVs that are dedicated to the hospitality industry these worries should be somewhat eradicated. Designed specifically for this use these TVs can be customised and are therefore much more secure. They can be managed to have an automatic cut off when a guest checks out, so that the TV is cleared of all history and data.

Cameras can also be disarmed or removed from hospitality specific TVs to ensure that privacy is upheld. There is a significant difference between TVs that are designed for hospitality use to those that are used domestically and you need to be aware that if you choose to buy domestic TVs for use within hospitality they have the potential to be misused.

Mr Yardley highly recommends that accommodation providers stick to respected brands because not only have guests become more selective about the brands that they would personally have in their own homes but they also expect to see these brands when they stat at a hotel. For providers, a well-known brand will give them the reassurance of an excellent warranty plus tried and tested quality assurance.

The three main high quality brands of smart TVs are Philips, Samsung and LG and all three offer a superb range of dedicated hospitality sets. When it comes to purchasing, the price should never be a deterrent – if the accommodation provider’s network is sufficient, the advice is that they purchase the best and most up-to-date system they can afford, especially considering that the price of smart TVs are now so very reasonable, a high quality 40 inch TV can be purchased for as little as $600. In addition to this there are numerous finance
options available, designed to help with the outlay.

When so many options to buy, lease or rent are available right now, this may be the time to carefully consider an upgrade. If this is the case perhaps we should outline what choices are available from our leading smart hospitality TV brands?

We spoke with Travis Anderson the general manager from Avico Electronics P/L who explains that Philips currently offers three ranges of dedicated hotel TVs, two of which are smart or IPTV solutions and one has a range of dedicated hotel functions.

With reference to Philips smart TVs, he says we have, “Our Easysuite range of screens where all settings can be cloned from screen to screen with a USB stick or over the RF system with Philips Smartinstall software.” This range are energy efficient LED TVs, that have the benefits of a dedicated hospitality TV and allow guests to buy premium content, inform them via hotel info pages and use the latest remote technology for effortless installation.

Then there is the MediaSuite range of TVs that offer complete connectivity and revenue opportunities with Philips Oxigen and system compatibility, this thin and energy efficient hospitality LED LCD TV, has all the benefits of digital television. And allows guests to buy premium content and use the latest remote technology for effortless installation.

Mr Anderson confirms that the Mediasuite range is “smart TV with dedicated hospitality applications from around the world offering news, sport and entertainment content on demand free of charge. This portal can also be customised by the hotel to offer more or less content depending on their requirements.”

He says that with the, “Interactive smart user interface, essentially the hotel can load a customised HTML skin to the TV that can be branded to suit the hotel and offer full control of the TV from within this interface. This can also provide in-room dining, hotel services and local information to the guest, as the hotel requires. This interface can be stored on the TV itself.”

Samsung introduced the stylish new HB890 and 690 Series of hospitality displays earlier this year with specific features to optimise content management, security and guest services and provide flexibility and control for hotel managers. The new Samsung hospitability displays are designed to help create a luxurious hotel room atmosphere with a refined, stylish display solution.

Hotel management can leverage the Samsung Lynk Sinc and H-Browser to deliver guest information directly to the HB890 and 690 Series TVs. These two features are IP-based hospitality display management solutions that eliminate the need for set-top boxes. For easy management, Lynk Sinc provides a customisable user interface with multiple language support and various templates. Hotel managers can select an interface that suits the hospitality brand or property and then use the advanced user interface to create and edit menus, images, text and video clips.

Using these Samsung hospitality solutions, hotel guests can receive a wide range of information through their TV such as hotel service, tourist information and weather with multi-language support.

Arthur Orsborn, the director of Capital Interactive Systems Pro Centric introduces, “Pro:Centric P which is LG’s unique and dedicated hotel data broadcasting platform for various service applications. With our platform you can customise the in-room experience. Pro:Centric provides an easy way to interface with interactive program guides and Internet data feeds, as well as applications designed to connect guests to hotel services such as room service menus and spa reservation. Pro:Centric is LG’s unique and dedicated hotel data broadcasting platform (GEM and Flash-Lite based application). Various service applications are available according to the service provider.

Remote management – through human resource consumption in head-end management is always an issue for the industry but with hospitality TV you can remotely manage cloning and channel mapping for TVs in guest rooms via your own private server. Pro:Centric V support also: in-room wi-fi access, IP streaming via many IPTV partners.

When it comes to guest expectations, I have not been too hard on myself for expecting a better TV from my accommodation provider in Brisbane. I think that it is only natural that all guests should follow the trends that are set in their everyday life; accommodation providers need to accept this and aim to meet their guest’s expectations head on.

Properties must ensure that they keep up with their guest’s needs and all the latest technologies that are available to make certain that a better guest experience is had and they must have the capability to manage this experience to the very best of their ability. In order to get this right they must make the perfect choice or you could say a “smart” choice of TV for their guest rooms. They need to choose a TV that fits, not just in size but that fits their guest’s expectation; choose a TV that does not disappoint.

To support their choice, accommodation providers must ensure that their supporting Internet network is sufficient; they need to purchase industry specific technology of the highest quality only and it is highly recommended that they should choose from the leading brands of smart TV such as LG, Philips and Samsung so they are guaranteed the best advice, the most up-to-date technology, reliability and longevity. Follow this advice and accommodation providers will have a platform and a solution that will serve them well, now and into the future, allowing them to add features and functionality as required. This is a smart long-term strategy that will keep the industry on trend and ahead of the crowd and ensure guest satisfaction.

Remember the saying, “Time and tide waits for no man” and neither does smart TV technology, so do not be left behind.