Smart TVs seem to be everywhere.They've been a fixture in homes and places of business for several years, and as hotels update and find the technology increasingly affordable, they’re also becoming standard in guestrooms around the world.“Connected” TVs with integrated internet have offered new opportunities for hotels to customize apps and personalize content, not to mention deliver a broad range of entertainment and information, from traditional satellite and cable programing, to streaming services as Disney+, Netflix and Amazon Prime. Hubs and open HDMI ports have further made it easy for guests to connect their personal devices and stream their own content.Many hotels are also adopting digital solutions that make it possible to deliver targeted information through those same smart TVs. Home channels, much like a hotel’s Wi-Fi landing page, offer space for both functionality and promotion.Here are four innovative ways hotel teams are putting their property’s smart TVs to work.
Ambient Sleep Aid
Millions of people struggle with sleep issues each year, and between time zone changes and unfamiliar surroundings, travelers are particularly susceptible.Ambient soundtracks, gentle music, nature sounds and white noise have been shorn to help people have a more restful sleep. All such sounds can be offered via smart TV. ITC properties in India, for example, created a designated Sleep TV channel, with specially commissioned music, but those hotels with even an entry-level smart TVs can offer access to Spotify, which has a massive library sleep-aid playlists and podcasts.
The Digital Compendium
Where is the ballroom? What time is checkout? How do I get ice?That most trusted of in-room resources – the hotel compendium – is getting a digital upgrade. Some of the biggest hospitality brands, such as Marriott, are integrating those most important property details and frequently asked questions directly into their smart TVs.Not only do hotel teams have an opportunity to promote their own outlets and activities, as with the traditional print book, there's the opportunity to generate revenue by featuring select local retailers, restaurants and tour providers. Guests can then peruse useful information vividly displayed with a tap of the remote.
Advertisements for Local Attractions
Travelers expect the quality of their hotel’s entertainment technology to at least match, if not surpass, the quality of entertainment technology they have at home. They seem to love to luxuriate in high-definition image and sound as part of their in-room experience, and hotel teams can leverage that interest both commercially and experientially with beautiful, ambient advertisements.Content for your default hotel channel can consist of soft audio (as not to disturb others) and pleasant images for guests to experience. Your property – and your tourism partners – can use this space by creating soothing advertisements for local attractions. Think images of swimming sea turtles to promote the local aquarium, or the nighttime glitter of a Ferris wheel to advertise a local amusement park, rolling in the background to ambient music. Guests are sure to have their interests piqued even before they even realize the sites are accessible via the hotel's courtesy shuttle.
Promotion of Amenities, Humanizing Hotels
Video is an essential element of modern hotel marketing. Your in-room smart TV is yet another channel through which to share that content that’s already being produced.The hotel home channel is a natural place to roll informative videos, such as those that promote hotel amenities. Film an informal tour of the fitness facilities, show beauty shots of the pool or spa, or let guests know what to expect at happy hour.Some hotels are crafting light, behind-the-scenes programing that help humanize their brand, such as those that feature profiles of the people that care for the guests, or highlighting the ways hotels gives back to the community and care for the environment.As smart TVs become standard in hotel guestrooms, there’s no reason hoteliers shouldn’t maximize their return on the technology.Taking the time to incorporate a smart TV strategy can not only add to a unique guest experience, it can benefit the bottom line.
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Smart TVs seem to be everywhere.They've been a fixture in homes and places of business for several years, and as hotels update and find the technology increasingly affordable, they’re also becoming standard in guestrooms around the world.“Connected” TVs with integrated internet have offered new opportunities for hotels to customize apps and personalize content, not to mention deliver a broad range of entertainment and information, from traditional satellite and cable programing, to streaming services as Disney+, Netflix and Amazon Prime. Hubs and open HDMI ports have further made it easy for guests to connect their personal devices and stream their own content.Many hotels are also adopting digital solutions that make it possible to deliver targeted information through those same smart TVs. Home channels, much like a hotel’s Wi-Fi landing page, offer space for both functionality and promotion.Here are four innovative ways hotel teams are putting their property’s smart TVs to work.
Ambient Sleep Aid
Millions of people struggle with sleep issues each year, and between time zone changes and unfamiliar surroundings, travelers are particularly susceptible.Ambient soundtracks, gentle music, nature sounds and white noise have been shorn to help people have a more restful sleep. All such sounds can be offered via smart TV. ITC properties in India, for example, created a designated Sleep TV channel, with specially commissioned music, but those hotels with even an entry-level smart TVs can offer access to Spotify, which has a massive library sleep-aid playlists and podcasts.
The Digital Compendium
Where is the ballroom? What time is checkout? How do I get ice?That most trusted of in-room resources – the hotel compendium – is getting a digital upgrade. Some of the biggest hospitality brands, such as Marriott, are integrating those most important property details and frequently asked questions directly into their smart TVs.Not only do hotel teams have an opportunity to promote their own outlets and activities, as with the traditional print book, there's the opportunity to generate revenue by featuring select local retailers, restaurants and tour providers. Guests can then peruse useful information vividly displayed with a tap of the remote.
Advertisements for Local Attractions
Travelers expect the quality of their hotel’s entertainment technology to at least match, if not surpass, the quality of entertainment technology they have at home. They seem to love to luxuriate in high-definition image and sound as part of their in-room experience, and hotel teams can leverage that interest both commercially and experientially with beautiful, ambient advertisements.Content for your default hotel channel can consist of soft audio (as not to disturb others) and pleasant images for guests to experience. Your property – and your tourism partners – can use this space by creating soothing advertisements for local attractions. Think images of swimming sea turtles to promote the local aquarium, or the nighttime glitter of a Ferris wheel to advertise a local amusement park, rolling in the background to ambient music. Guests are sure to have their interests piqued even before they even realize the sites are accessible via the hotel's courtesy shuttle.
Promotion of Amenities, Humanizing Hotels
Video is an essential element of modern hotel marketing. Your in-room smart TV is yet another channel through which to share that content that’s already being produced.The hotel home channel is a natural place to roll informative videos, such as those that promote hotel amenities. Film an informal tour of the fitness facilities, show beauty shots of the pool or spa, or let guests know what to expect at happy hour.Some hotels are crafting light, behind-the-scenes programing that help humanize their brand, such as those that feature profiles of the people that care for the guests, or highlighting the ways hotels gives back to the community and care for the environment.As smart TVs become standard in hotel guestrooms, there’s no reason hoteliers shouldn’t maximize their return on the technology.Taking the time to incorporate a smart TV strategy can not only add to a unique guest experience, it can benefit the bottom line.
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