HotelsMag November 2013 | Page 79

started to trail the residential viewing experience . I think LodgeNet ’ s name became associated with just that singular view of content and connectivity , that notion of video on demand .”
Placing less emphasis on VOD revenue , Sonifi is now shifting into a more customized , behind-the-scenes role with its in-room offerings , promoting the hotel primarily and providing pertinent information on-screen . As Storey explains , in the past LodgeNet was very focused on branding itself , especially on all its TV-based services , which caused some conflict with hotels seeking a more invisible provider . LodgeNet would also develop products on its own and roll them out as a default , rather than factoring specific client needs into the process . Those days are over .
“ What that signals is a whole shift in mindset ,” Storey adds . “ We ’ re working much more closely with the brands in combination with their product roadmap and the issues they ’ re facing . It ’ s really a
“ ULTIMATELY YOU ’ LL BE AT A POINT WHERE THAT MOBILE DEVICE CAN START TO DEFINE , ALMOST IN AN AUTOMATIC MANNER , WHAT ’ S AVAILABLE ON THE TV THAT ’ S IMPORTANT TO THAT GUEST .”
– TOM STOREY , SONIFI SOLUTIONS much more collaborative approach .” Some of the key changes Sonifi has made include a redesign of the TV user interface . The newer , simplified controls are intended to not only better promote the hotel , but also solve past issues like system latency , the need for an interactive channel guide and eliminating the extensive “ LodgeNet gauntlet ” users had to run to make selections ( intended to help push on-demand movies ).
“ We ’ ve moved already to a point where we ’ ve fixed our biggest problems , and now we ’ re actually customizing the delivery of content , products and services by hotel company and type ,” Storey says . “ We ’ re in the process of customizing the room service apps and looking at our content packages for resorts , so it ’ s a whole transition to a customized approach .”
Things are changing on both the hardware and software sides . Sonifi ’ s current platform now runs in full HD , hotels lease the equipment and the new software can be updated remotely throughout the network . And in the mobile space , Sonifi has tweaked its app to integrate with branded hotel apps , once again adopting a less intrusive but more customized white-label strategy .
“ We will have the mobile device starting to drive connectivity and personalization for the guest ,” Storey says . “ Every mobile device is a unique identifier , so with permission , you learn the types of content guests are interested in , when they ’ re looking at the content and how frequently . Ultimately you ’ ll be at a point where that mobile device can start to define , almost in an automatic manner , what ’ s available on the TV that ’ s important to that guest .”
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