{"id":157,"date":"2020-02-26T09:51:13","date_gmt":"2020-02-26T09:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hoteltvcompany.co.uk\/support\/?p=157"},"modified":"2020-03-20T16:58:06","modified_gmt":"2020-03-20T16:58:06","slug":"the-truth-about-guest-in-room-entertainment-what-really-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoteltvcompany.co.uk\/support\/the-truth-about-guest-in-room-entertainment-what-really-works\/","title":{"rendered":"The Truth about Guest In-Room Entertainment: What Really Works?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In-Room Entertainment (IRE) has become more and more complex in recent years. From free Wi-Fi and smart TVs to wireless screen sharing devices and gaming consoles, technology has revolutionised the way hotels provide top level<\/g> hospitality and has become a necessity for every hotel. In times when 94% of guests find free Wi-Fi to be the most important hotel service<\/a> and carry an average of 3 devices per short-term travel<\/a>, technology has become hoteliers\u2019 best friend. Nevertheless, the latest gadgets on the market may not always be the best solution. In fact, hoteliers are usually found to evaluate most entertainment services higher than guests do<\/a>. Hence the question lies in what is it that can best fit your hotel?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Free Wi-Fi<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When\nconsidering in-room entertainment, Wi-Fi<\/a> is\none of the essentials every hotel should provide. Needless to say that free\nWi-Fi is not just a luxury anymore and can be a deal breaker for the majority\nof travelers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did\nyou know that <\/strong>65% of guests start using the hotel Wi-Fi within 7 minutes of checking-in<\/strong><\/a>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

High-speed\nInternet is a must for every hotel, large or small, and needs to be on the top\nof your list when considering technological upgrades. By simply improving your\nWi-Fi connection and bandwidth, you can drastically improve your guests\u2019\nexperience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If\nyour hotel struggles to provide high-speed internet to each room and the cost\nof re-cabling and re-decorating is discouraging, Ethernet-over-Coax<\/a> can\nbe the best way to go! These discrete devices allow for Internet to run over\nyour existing coaxial cabling providing enough bandwidth for each room without\nany disruption or re-cabling costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However,\nif your internet is good enough, Wi-Fi doesn\u2019t have to be just another cost in\nthe books. Wi-Fi platforms<\/a> can\nbe a great way to gather data and increase sales. Such platforms can capture\nguest information and provide hoteliers with insights into visit frequency and\nduration onsite. Allow guests to login with their social media credentials or\nemail address to capture valuable contact details for SMS and e-mail marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video on Demand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Video on demand<\/a> (VoD)\nis seen as one of the classic forms of Hotel entertainment, whether it\u2019s\nwatching BBC iPlayer or streaming movies, there is always something for your\nguests to enjoy from the comfort of their hotel room. Furthermore, when it\ncomes to implementation and on-going costs, there are a number of payment\nmethods that make this solution fit well in both small and large hotels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\ncan simply pay the installation cost and leave your guests to pay for the\nmovies that they want to watch or you can pay a subscription fee to unlock all\nmovies free for the guest. This makes VoD solutions fitted for both small and\nlarge hotels, allowing small hotels to offer premium service to their guests\nwhile keeping costs down by passing it onto guests, and larger hotels to offer\ntop level of hospitality and comfort without hindering their reputation by\nallowing guests to access the latest films for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Screen Mirroring<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In-room\nscreen sharing is a great way to engage your guests, letting them share\ndifferent multimedia content to the big screen. Screen Mirroring and casting\ndevices such as Chromecast and ScriptCast<\/a>,\nare becoming more and more popular in hotels. These clever little devices allow\nScreen mirroring and casting for Windows, Apple and Android. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However,\nsuch devices can range from \u00a320 to \u00a3100+ per device depending on their\ncapabilities, features and implications in a hotel. In other words, the\ncheapest devices are not always the most effective solution to go for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For\nexample, a small hotel or B&B with limited budget can greatly benefit from\na casting device such as Chromecast. They are relatively affordable and easy to\nuse, however, they have limited capabilities in regards to what content can be\ncast to the TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On\nthe other hand, devices, such as ScriptCast<\/a>,\nallow for both casting and mirroring and are compatible with most devices. In\nother words, guests can both mirror everything that is on their screen to the\nroom TV or switch to casting multimedia apps, such as YouTube and Netflix, for\nbetter video\/audio quality. This solution is much more suited to hotels looking\nto give their guests the ultimate screen sharing experience without any\nrestrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voice Command<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Voice command<\/a> is\none of the newest, up and coming technologies in the hospitality Industry with\nit being implemented into some USA hotels but is yet to really breach into the\nUK market. With devices such as Alexa, Google Home and Apple\u2019s Siri, voice\ncommand is all around us and it\u2019s only a matter of time until it is a common\nfeature in our Hotels.With Voice Command guests would be able to walk into a\nhotel room and ask the voice command assistant to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n