Unlocking Guestroom Entertainment Technology Innovations for Your Hotel
How to ensure your hotel offers the latest entertainment technology
Now and in the future.
When it comes to in-room entertainment technology, the guest experience is driven by guest expectations. What do your guests expect in their hotel room? Answer: What they have at home right now.
A Large Screen TV – The most common size TV sold today is 55 inches. That 36 inch or even 40 inch TV in your hotel room will far far short of guest expectations
Live TV – guests want to be able to watch all the channels they enjoy at home. That includes not only the locals, but sports, food, and other channels. Offering a limited menu of channels will not meet their desires for live TV.
Streaming Options – 88% of households have a paid video streaming service subscription, and the average number of subscriptions per household is four according to DeLoitte and 2.8 according to Forbes. Your guests want to watch Netflix, Hulu, Paramount+, Disney, and the other streaming services they enjoy at home while they are staying at your hotel.
Casting – Your guests want to be able to cast the video they want to watch onto the hotel TV just like they can at home. That includes services like YouTube and video taken by their mobile device of their trip.
On ANY Internet Connected Device – according to Broadcasting & Cable, in 2023 61% of all live TV was watched on an alternative device, a computer monitor, a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone. Your hotel guests expect that they can watch their TV shows and movies on the device of their choice.
Hotels looking to build guest satisfaction and increase loyalty often feel pressure to meet these preferences, which tend to be generational. “According to Statista, millennial and Gen Z travelers represent more than half of leisure travel bookings today and they are bringing their technology expectations with them,” observed Barry Conley, President of its All About Satellites. “Today, most generations enjoy watching video content from outside the traditional broadcast channels, which is why creating an in-room entertainment experience that includes include both live TV, streaming services, and casting options is critical to your hotel guest’s satisfaction.”
Providing your guests with this type of state-of-the-art TV and entertainment experience can be challenging for several reasons.
First, in the 24/7 hotel operations it can be difficult to stay ahead of the direction of the ongoing evolution of digital entertainment. “As a hotel owner or manager you are focused on running your business profitably. You simply don’t have the time to stay on top of every new app, program, channel, and device that’s shaping your guests day-day expectations,” Conley said. “For example: Your guests are using literally hundreds of streaming and video content applications today. And that number keeps growing as legacy broadcast content creators spin off their own streaming app. Trying to keep track of just the streaming apps available could be a full-time job, and it’s just one small part of the digital evolution that’s driving change in hospitality technology.”
Second, the cost of keeping up with the constantly changing technology can be daunting, particularly for small, mid-scale, and economy hotels. “Future proofing your hotel guests entertainment experience can be rough. Hoteliers today are facing labor shortages, shrinking margins, increased competition, and the need to modernize your guestroom entertainment offerings We work with hotels of all sizes to help them meet at least one part of the challenges with affordable and upgradeable solutions,” he noted.
If you are concerned with how you will keep pace with entertainment technology advancements and guest expectations while ensuring your hotel operations stay on budget, you’ll be excited to discover that an innovative solution to meet this challenge exists. Here are three features to look for in an entertainment technology platform that positions you for success in this key area of hospitality:
1. Plug-n-play integration with your existing infrastructure.
According to a recent Hospitality Technology study, 69 percent of hoteliers say that integrating a new solution with legacy systems is their biggest technology challenge. Thus, finding solutions that don’t require infrastructure upgrades is advantageous and can save money in the long run. DIRECTV’s HD COM guest entertainment platform is the most used TV system in hotels across the US and allows your hotel to deliver live and streaming content to all types of TVs, displays, and mobile devices across the property. The COM system was designed as an affordable solution for all—from small lodging operations and boutique hotels to national brands across all price points,” said Conley. Supporting that affordability is a series of solutions that work with your hotel’s existing infrastructure and TVs—a capability that’s particularly valuable for older properties with only cable/coaxial outlets. “In 2025 we look forward to sharing the newest evolution of our HD COM and AEP technology, including a brand-new 1RU chassis with 46 channel capabilities that makes this future-forward technology even more accessible to historic hotels and properties with older cable plants and infrastructure,” said Conley.
2. Creates opportunities for your guests to choose.
With 83 percent of U.S. consumers subscribing to at least one streaming service (Statista, 2023), guests will expect that type of service in their room along with live TV. Today, there’s no need for hotel operators to manually research, download, and subscribe to the latest and greatest apps—the COM System’s integrated apps puts your guests in control of their in-room entertainment by giving them access to a variety of applications. Through an easy-to-use interface, guests can search for, download, and log into their accounts to access popular streaming services. Whether they’re looking for an established favorite like Netflix or a future streaming service that has yet to be debuted, guests will always be able to find the programs they love.
3. Future-proofs against entertainment innovations and updates.
Entertainment technology solutions that are designed to adapt to the constant evolution in guest expectations and hotel technology deliver the greatest ROI, as the system you are investing in won’t need to be replaced when these inevitable changes happen. “The technology in DIRECTV’s HD Com and AEP offer a powerful combination of live TV, streaming services, and casting capabilities means that guests can enjoy essentially any entertainment they choose on your hotel’s in-room TVs. So, as guest demographics and preferences change, the same entertainment solution will still deliver for the hotelier,” Conley explained. “DIRECTV AEP’s direct integration with Google also ensures that streaming apps on the TVs in your Guestrooms are always current, so as soon as the newest streaming service launches an app, your hotel is prepared.” On occasion, new developments, such as a brand or logo change, will require an update to your guestroom entertainment system. “Both of DIRECTV’s hospitality platforms, AEP and HD COM allows hoteliers (and your staff) to easily customize and update your TV platform branding and add or edit information about new services and amenities that they may not have previously offered,” he added.
Proving that future-proofing your guestroom entertainment and cost-effectiveness are not mutually exclusive, a solution like DIRECTV’s HD COM can enable any hotel—from boutique to brand name, from economy to luxury—to deliver an exceptional entertainment experience that is future-proof. At this year’s hotel industry association conferences and expos, “we will be giving live demos of our hotel guestroom entertainment system customization tool, which allows your hotel to custom brand your guest’s onscreen experience, promote your onsite amenities and services, create new revenue streams with advertising from local attractions and businesses, and so much more,” said Conley.
For more information about how advanced guestroom entertainment technology
can power your hotel operations and fuel guest satisfaction,
Call 800-951-1979 today.
