TVs make hotel rooms so much smarter…
It was not that long ago that the world’s most luxurious hotels advertised having the latest release movies for in-room entertainment as a major selling point.
But technology advances faster than the speed of light.
These days everyone can get the latest movies on their phone. Hotel guests want more. They want not only all the comforts of home, but the technology to let them stay connected no matter where they are in the world.
With the proliferation of streaming services these days, hotel guests are more likely to stream a Netflix, Stan or Amazon Prime program onto their in-room Smart TV than watch free-to-air channels.
The boom in internet-based music platforms like Spotify – which boats almost 250 million subscribers – means guests also want to play music via Bluetooth through in-room speakers.
Guests therefore expect hotels to offer as part of their entertainment package free, high-speed wifi without complicated log-in procedures, and no internet time-outs.
A 2018 survey in The International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, found that “hotels should primarily use guests’ homes as reference points to provide the best service … because hotels are giving a service that is unlike any other”.
They have to be intertwined with the customer’s lifestyle.
The survey showed that 60 percent of consumers were more likely to choose a smartphone-enabled hotel, 96 percent thought wifi should be free and one-third of them would consider a lack of it to be a turn-off.
More and more guests want to cast content from a personal device to their in-room TV, and hotel operators are being encouraged to invest in the latest technologies as they become available to meet the ever-changing digital landscape we are seeing with mobile phones.
Michael Johnson, the CEO of Tourism Accommodation Australia, told AccomNews that when guests check into a hotel “they want every convenience they have at home and more, and that includes all the technology linked to their smart phones.
“That’s why the Smart TVs have become critical in the hotel business and why hotels are constantly having to update their technology to keep ahead of the trends.
They want a hotel TV that does everything that their own big-screen Smart TV does at home.
“It becomes an expectation for guests that their room will provide the latest technology and if the hotel does not meet that expectation, maybe the guest might not stay at that property again.”
Mr Johnson said the Australian industry was seeing a trend of smaller hotel rooms but “much more high-tech – decked out with all the comfort and technology you have at home.
You’ve now got hotel rooms that have an iPad loaded with apps that can access all services and can double up as a phone.
“I can recall the days when making an overseas call from a hotel room was a very complicated and expensive procedure. But that’s the speed of technology changing.’’
Devices such as Apple TV will make it possible for guests to access their favourite programs in hotel rooms simply by using voice commands and not even pressing a button.
Already, hotels are using televisions with screens so thin and technology so advanced that with a flick of a switch they can be transformed from in-room paintings to in-room entertainment.
Disguised as works of art they morph into entertainment and information hubs, with connectivity so precise that they can connect with guests’ mobile phones, making hotel remote controls obsolete.
And the most modern Smart TVs have become so loaded with features that they can not only display all hotel services, room charges and dining menus, but control such things as lighting, air conditioning, alarms and music speakers.
Some TV systems can now switch off the lights and close blinds when guests leave the room or climb into bed.
They can even activate motion sensors at night-time if a guest needs to use the bathroom so that they do not bump the furniture in the dark.
Technology experts say that before long guests using voice command technology on their Smart TVs will simply be able to tell the room exactly what they want without touching a thing.
AccomNews questioned top industry suppliers on their entertainment technology solutions for accommodation managers, to read the full version please see below…
Grantlee Kieza OAM has won three Queensland Media Awards, two Australian Sports Commission Awards and has been a finalist for the Walkley and News Awards and for the Harry Gordon Award for Australian sports journalist of the year. In 2019 he received the Medal of the Order of Australia for his writing. You can find more of his work in our AccomNews & Resort News print magazines.
He has written 22 acclaimed books, including bestsellers Hudson Fysh, The Kelly Hunters, Lawson, Banks, Macquarie, Banjo, Mrs Kelly, Monash, Sons of the Southern Cross and Bert Hinkler.
