TECHNOLOGY : IN-ROOM ENTERTAINMENT
THE WI-FI
CONUNDRUM
To charge or not to introduced a tiered Wi-Fi charge , that is the system to the increased question . Guests ’ demand some guests use of mobile devices place by streaming and is catapulting bandwidth usage at hotels , web surfing is free .
downloading . Basic
increasing expenses “ Every Orient-Express to upgrade their wiring property offers complimentary Wi-Fi , which infrastructure . Hotel companies are divided allows guests to surf about whether to the Internet and check impose guestroom Wi-Fi their emails ,” says Filip charges or not .
Boyen , chief operating
“ Our pricing has officer , Orient-Express not increased , and Hotels . “ Should a the customer usage guest wish to stream and demand has or download large files , continued to increase additional cost will be considerably ,” says Neil applied , and the specific Schubert , vice president , cost varies .” IT strategy , Marriott Mandarin Oriental International .
Hotel Group takes the Orient-Express opposite approach , Hotels , Hamilton , arguing that a Wi-Fi fee Bermuda , has would be detrimental to
While the company has seen demand move toward content consumers bring with them on a mobile device and shifted its in-room entertainment investment accordingly from traditional television distribution systems to hotel Internet systems , Marriott isn ’ t designating one platform as being the most cost-effective to install throughout its portfolio . “ With respect to mobile and guestroom entertainment , mobile is merely a bridging technology to content in the cloud ,” Schubert says . “ The real challenge with investment targets is not the expenditure itself , but how to choose solutions that will remain relevant for a reasonable timeframe to achieve optimal value for the investments made . We expect the rapid pace of development will continue to offer opportunities for innovation .” customers ’ perception of the services offered by the hotel . “ In a connected world with growing amounts of cloud delivered / streaming content , high-quality Internet with exceptional bandwidth is a must ,” says David Heckaman , Mandarin Oriental ’ s vice president of technology .
Many major brands offer free Wi-Fi for loyalty club members . Carlson , Minnetonka , Minnesota , offers free guestroom Wi-Fi to guests that sign up for its loyalty program , Club Carlson , to incentivize enrollment . IHG does the same for members of InterContinental Hotels & Resorts Ambassador . Hilton Worldwide offers free guestroom Wi-Fi for Gold Elite and Diamond Elite HHonors members .
Divergent paths Given the lack of a dominant model , hotel companies are taking divergent paths of offering mobile integration for guestroom entertainment .
Hyatt Hotels Corp . announced earlier this year it is rolling out of the Roomlinx media console platform for televisions in 60,000 guestrooms at full-service properties in North America by mid-2013 , although it has completed this at only 16 hotels so far . In addition to video-on-demand , room service and amenities purchasing it features Internet browsing and Netflix streaming and allows guests to access documents stored on a flash drive . Roomlinx says it is working at the brand level to release a mobile application that will integrate with the media console . Hyatt says property owners are paying for the upgrade , and that it is too early to project the F & B or ancillary revenue impact of the new entertainment system .
Some independent properties are also taking the mobile app approach . The Charles Hotel , a Preferred Hotels & Resorts member in Boston , is installing an Internet television system in January featuring a mobile app that allows guests to navigate the television ’ s options as well as a connectivity panel so guests can connect their mobile devices to play stored and streamed content over complimentary guestroom Wi-Fi . The TV system includes 12,000 Internet radio stations and allows guests to adapt customized menus of stations . “ Our new TV system will allow guests to change the TV input to iPods , cameras , laptops , tablets and other media devices and also function as a USB charger ,” says Alex Attia , general manager at The Charles .
At the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group , Hong Kong , connectivity panels for guests to play their own content from mobile devices is now a brand fixture after piloting the approach in New York City . “ Today , this requirement is being delivered with Enseo set-top-box equipment ,” says David Heckaman , Mandarin Oriental ’ s vice president of technology . “ Guest mobile devices are providing a rapid migration away from brand-delivered content to becoming an enabler of our guest ’ s own content , which we believe is a true luxury experience .”
The connectivity panel approach is not confined to luxury brands , though . La Quinta Inns & Suites , Irving , Texas , announced in October 2011 it had invested US $ 50 million to replace its
SHOULD A GUEST WISH TO STREAM OR DOWNLOAD LARGE FILES , ADDITIONAL COST WILL BE APPLIED .”
— Filip Boyen , Orient-Express Hotels
54 HOTELS December 2012 www . hotelsmag . com