TECHNOLOGY
In-room entertainment :
PERSONALIZATION , FLEXIBILITY IS KEY
Advanced Entertainment Platform on DIRECTV
CONTACTLESS CONVENIENCE , PRIVACY AND PERSONALIZATION ARE KEY AS TRAVELERS LOOK TO TRANSFORM THEIR ROOMS INTO A SMART HUB USING MOBILE TECHNOLOGY .
By KATHAKALI NANDI
Although travel sentiment has been climbing steadily , the pandemic and social distancing has resulted in travelers spending a significant amount of time inside their hotel rooms to limit their exposure to public spaces . Despite spending several long months at their homes , travelers still crave a “ home away from home ” ambience at hotels and look for convenient , flexible and customized options when it comes to in-room entertainment .
Thanks to the growing popularity of streaming platforms , the television still remains a powerful and most favored medium of entertainment , with travelers either watching the same or more amount of TV as compared to the pandemic . While there is a shift towards OTT and on-demand content , hoteliers say live TV is still the most consumed content .
“ Our survey revealed that about 45 % of travelers are watching the same amount of TV today than when the pandemic was in full effect , and over a third ( 35 %) say they ’ re watching even more ,” explains Kimberly Twiggs , assistant vice president of market development of DIRECTV . “ What ’ s interesting from the research we ’ ve done is how much TV leisure
80 hotelsmag . com May 2022