Updated technology helps TVs save money, increase revenue

Travelers expect a better-than-home experience when they stay in hotels, and with smart TVs becoming ubiquitous in living rooms across the country, the technology has become a necessary part of the guest experience. But beyond letting guests watch their favorite programs on the go, in-room TVs can help hoteliers boost their revenue and guest satisfaction. 

Joe King, VP commercial displays, North America at Philips Professional Display Solutions, said that while hotels have been purchasing smart TVs, hoteliers frequently skip the smarter features, spending extra money on a set back box—a piece of hardware that lets a unit access both linear broadcast and internet-based video content. “All the smart features ... are coming through that box,” he said, noting that the devices can be “quite expensive” and are ultimately unnecessary with the latest smart TVs. “When you talk about return on investment for a hotel owner, we're actually giving them those smart features.” Without the need for additional hardware, guests can use the smart TVs to read the menus from any on-site restaurants and order roomservice, make reservations for the spa or request extra services or maintenance. 

Jeff Fox, lead for strategic sales and partnerships at DIRECTV Hospitality, said that smart TVs can provide up-to-the-minute information about what’s going on in a hotel and what is available for guests at any given time. Putting the information on the TV platform eliminates the need to print and distribute the information on paper, he said. Similarly, alerting guests to updated availability of services or products increases the likelihood of booking and purchasing. “Operational efficiency increases potential sales and guest satisfaction,” he said. 

Smart TVs also can display curated commercials for local restaurants, activities or attractions, Fox added, giving the hotel’s sales team a chance to book advertising space in a rotation.  

And while the labor shortage drags on, the ability for guests to find information, view their invoices and check out without approaching the front desk or the concierge makes it easier for hotels to operate efficiently with a reduced staff.

Extended Lifespans

While old-fashioned glass-screen TVs of the past might easily last for a decade, new technology has a much shorter shelf life, driving up prices for those who want to keep up. “We've all been conditioned by the phone manufacturers that every time a new phone comes out, we need to be first in line to get it,” King said. On the flip side, obsolete technology in a guestroom will not help guest satisfaction scores. Buying a new smart TV every few years would be fiscally challenging, but a system that can be regularly updated, like the Android service PPDS uses, can extend the unit’s life. 

“We spent a lot of time working on backwards compatibility of our new models,” said Chris Barton, national account manager, system integrator partner management at LG Electronics. This helps reduce the total cost of ownership over time, he explained, because the company regularly releases new models. “Every 18 months, we'll be refreshing the model and moving up to the next generation of web apps and hardware platforms.” LG’s Chicago-based technical team works on a certification process to ensure backwards compatibility, he said, so that next generation of apps and hardware will still work on TVs purchased two years before. “[It’s] very important for both our partners in terms of development effort, and our customers in terms of [fewer] problems over time and a longer use of that television.” 

At the same time, Barton added, LG’s Pro Centric smart TVs use LED and OLED technology, which also last a long time and consume less power than earlier LCD displays, offering energy savings over time.