I do quite a bit of travelling in my role at Acentic and in turn I get to explore many varied cultures. It is naive to think that all cultures work the same, and an important part of doing business in today’s global market is learning to adapt to the strengths of different cultures and find common ground where it exists. I’ve spoken to hoteliers across the world, and in my experience there is one point of emphasis that remains consistent. Whether meeting with heads of I.T., marketing, finance, maintenance, front of house or general managers, everyone in the hotel industry cares about the guest experience first and foremost. And this is true whether you are in the UK, Norway, France or Hong Kong -- speaking in English, Norwegian, French, Italian, German or Chinese. All differences in culture and methodology add up to one thing: improving guest experience.

Since our industry has its roots so firmly based in technology, it can sometimes be easy to forget about the human focus. As technology advances in the home environment and Moore’s Law (the law which states that computer processors double in power every two years) continues to prove itself out, our industry often looks to solve every issue by throwing the latest, greatest tech at the guest. While this is often helpful, it is very much only part of any good solution.

In basic terms, people stay in hotels for business or leisure. Regardless, the target for any hotelier is for the guest to leave happier than when they arrived. And this is often an uphill battle. Among all the magazine and TV ads, special offers and discount deals, it seems that hotels sometimes forget that the path to the dream hotel room sold in the brochure or website is a complicated one, full of potential annoyances over which nobody has any control. Before they even get to the front door of the hotel, guests often have to endure traffic jams, parking bays too small their car doors to open, overloaded public transport systems, luggage racks too small for their cases, delayed flights, cancellations, layovers the require an Olympic medal in spiriting and so on.

After all of this, the guest just wants things to work, without complication. If new technology can help this, great. If it makes things more complicated and the guest has to jump through hoops to get basic services, failure. On check-in, the guest is simply not interested in HDMI ports, Network Balancing, Guest User Interface etc., they simply want to get to their room, grab a shower, unpack and feel loved again.

Making the guest feel loved again is a core philosophy behind all Acentic products. No matter how tough the journey to the hotel, things will be better once you get through the doors. Whether the guest wants to use the latest on-screen app (such as the restaurant reservation app), buy the latest must-see movie, or catch up on some TV, the experience will be hassle free.

And ultimately, that is the world any hotelier is striving for, a world where hassle and annoyance ends at the front door. The challenges are different for every guest and every culture, but the goal is universal. As a guest, no matter what the trip entailed, no matter where in the world you are or where you came from, you should be able to expect to be taken care of once you arrive at your hotel. It is our job to ensure that all around the world, guests leave hotels in a better state of mind than when they arrived. Now isn’t that a great industry to be in?

If you haven’t read this book by Sir Compton Mackenzie you should do so immediately. It’s an intriguing insight into the hardships of the Second World War and more particularly a Scottish island that is deprived of whisky since most of it was shipped off to the USA in exchange for assistance. When a ship carrying thousands of bottles is shipwrecked off the shores of this remote island you can only imagine the chaos that breaks loose. Makes for excellent reading and I am sure the movie will be fabulous as well! Most of you are by now wondering why Acentic is providing book reviews rather than movie reviews, but this great book sprang to mind as we implemented a tailored Grant’s Whisky User Interface in one of our hotels the other day. With the annual Grant’s whisky workshop being held in the property the wish was to provide a unique guest experience to its attendees. Acentic therefore devised a unique Grant’s Whisky User Interface for implementation during the workshop -every attendee experienced an elegant Grant’s whisky branded interface. Just an example of how flexible the Acentic Panorama HD platform is and how smart hoteliers make use of it to enhance their conference offering. I must also add a special thank you on behalf of one of our graphic designers and myself to the Columbus hotel in Monaco and Grant’s whisky for having put aside two bottles to assist our inspiration for future blogs and Graphical User Interfaces. As they would say in Scotland: Slainte. Here's tae ye.

The Movie: Directed by Alexander Mackendrick, released in 1949

I have recently overheard a few discussions about the death of video on demand (VoD).  The talks described how internet delivered VoD to “connected LCDs” would mean the end of system integrators, but also it would be the end of all the established cable operators and satellite based PayTV companies. I must admit, it all sounded a bit extreme, but it did make a compelling argument for the uninitiated to invest in a connected LCD. At a recent conference attended by many of the leading cable operators, the Over the top (OTT) content services were looked at and analyzed in depth. The implications could be huge with new players. It makes me think of the hungry Internet giants coming in and competing effectively with established players who have massive network investments in place. However, reality is different, especially in Europe’s highly fragmented content market. With studios keen to protect their content, premium HD content is available only through tried and tested controlled networks with hardware-based security systems. Add to that specific rights for content commercialized in hotels, it may be some time before viable OTT services can be legally delivered to the guest’s TV. Acentic is however, immigrating its platforms to leverage the cloud through controlled and secure connections giving hoteliers the benefits of the cloud while providing the Studios with peace of mind.

My latest tour through London has taken me to the hottest hotels around town, such as the Crowne Plaza London City and the Wyndham Chelsea Harbour. I also had the pleasure of popping into The Langham with our Head of Content design, Peter Torbet. Peter was visiting the Langham to work on some new features to the In-Room Entertainment menu with the hotel’s marketing team. After seeing the brilliant work he had done so far, I made a comment about everything being so "pink" and asked why this colour was all over the Television screen. "You'll see when we get there" he said. Indeed, looking around this beautiful property and the rooms, I had to realise that everything was even more "pink.”

I could tell right away that The Langham TV and Internet portal that Peter and the Graphics team worked on was completely in-line with the hotel surroundings. I could immediately feel that Acentic had not just put in our product, but tailored it so that it would fall right into this space completely naturally. Rumour has it that tourists visiting London will get picked up at Heathrow by Taxis and will simply jump in the cab and request, "take me to the pink hotel!" Every single taxi driver, and there must be thousands, will take these guests to The Langham - no questions asked.

This all goes to show how a brand and the associated styles can really impact a guest's, and even the taxi driver's, memory. When developing Acentic’s latest Panorama HD and Horizon product and the fully customizable graphical user interface, the Core-GUI, it was of paramount importance that any and all styling and branding requests could be fulfilled. Paired with the improved user experience that was developed through years of customer feedback, you simply can't avoid getting the feeling that the customer had chosen just the right product for such a fabulous place.

I find it interesting how many guests now expect broadband Internet for free within a hotel room. I suppose most hotel guests are unaware of the fixed costs that a hotelier must incur to have a quality broadband system that delivers reliable connections day in and day out. Non-functioning broadband can lead to high costs for the hotelier. This was a problem that I recently discovered while on a stay in a European airport hotel. I entered my room after a long flight and I was eager to start working and listen to the champions league game over web radio. I proceeded to remove all the paper from the desk. That’s another random thought I had, do guests actually read all that clutter on the desk of the hotel room? Hoteliers should check out our iTV and mobile applications for intelligent guest communication. After removing the paper, I sought to connect to the web. My immediate reaction was to find the WiFi network. That was non-existent. I next looked for the wired connection, which led me to look in all the drawers of the room and even the closet for that elusive cable. After a while of searching I had to take the elevator down to reception, who directed me to the concierge. Finally I was back up to my room and 10 minutes later I received a visit from a very apologetic member of the hotel staff who handed me the prized cable. It still only took me 10 minutes of trying to get the connection to work, 10 minutes on a helpdesk line to someone on the other side of the planet who told me she would warn the hotel technician. At least a half an hour later I had to once again call reception who immediately sent a technician up to replace the faulty modem, only to find that the connection still didn’t work. After all of that, they gave me a room change where everything worked perfectly. How much time/effort/money do you think that cost the hotel?

Last week was a source of considerable domestic disturbance as I stayed glued to the TV screen at home to watch some of the six Nation’s Rugby games. And the situation didn’t improve after France lost to England in what we call “Le big crunch” and indeed it was a bruising affair which cost me a fortune in bets. Let’s not get into why France should have won that game or a number of you will be calling me a bad loser (rightly so I admit). What was interesting was the run up to the game and how the overall experience was shared whilst being on my own in front of the TV (my wife having stormed out mumbling something about Rugby being a barbarians sport). The whole event started way before kick off time with numerous Facebook messages, tweets and other social media exchanges, it continued throughout the match with exchanges between myself and rugby fanatics dotted around the globe. It was also accompanied by the downloading of a gaming application and a rather amusing mobile phone rugby game and database. Ultimately the mobile device became an essential element of my TV experience making me interact with numerous people and through the downloaded applications now following me permanently even though the game is long finished (and for me forgotten!). The interesting fact here is that mobile applications are not replacing the TV viewing experience but enriching via great synergies. Acentic’s mobile application suite will shortly bring guests new interactive experiences that should not only enrich their stay but also extend it beyond their check out.

Targeted advertising technologies provide a unique opportunity for hoteliers to have multiple revenue touch points with a very desirable audience at times when they are most receptive. Hotels are not yet taking full advantage of these advertising opportunities but now they can. Hotels wishing to benefit from this new media need a reliable platform that also allows them to maintain control over the type and frequency of advertising shown. Acentic Media, launched today, is such a platform. It enables hotels to offer an integrated package of media options to advertisers through the guest information channels on the TV where video, animation and graphic content can be displayed. Brands can also engage with guests via the hotel's Wi-Fi offering and through sponsorship of the in-room movie guide. The options are all measureable providing a truly accountable opportunity. Moreover, optimised multiple bundle offerings help promote the true convergence across all the devices modern guests use (television, laptop, iPad, or smart phone).

Hotels can offer advertisers cost-effective targeting of their customers in a truly specialised way. Imagine having guaranteed exposure to all guests, with time sensitive messaging and remote update capability, as well as offering an adaptable multimedia hub able to utilise existing marketing materials. Being able to offer truly scalable options also gives advertisers the ability to test market in a controlled environment. All of this can be achieved with a targeted advertising platform.

Without a doubt Acentic media will provide hotels with incremental media earnings possibilities and will leave their customers with a richer experience.

Forget the incredibly complex economic models and associated analysis done by the world’s leading economists; I can assure you that the recession is over and the hotel market is booming again. Well, maybe not, but it certainly feels that way. Two months ago I was crammed in a less than luxurious hotel room (Location! Location! Location! still remains my main driver for the choice of a hotel) and watched a TV that was smaller than my laptop screen with a channel choice and picture quality that probably dated back to the introduction of color TV. Yesterday, I entered my room at the same hotel and found a gleaming new LCD with a selection of high definition channels and video on demand. The change was incredible as I zapped from the tragic events on the news channels to a high definition documentary on ants, which sent shivers down my spine. I was also able to watch a movie in high definition that I had watched on an airline just last week, on a screen the size of my mobile phone, and suddenly the lackluster aspect of the room seemed to disappear. In fact, the whole viewing experience was better than in many five star luxury properties that have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars on IP networks and expensive interactive systems. So, is the recession over? Like the brilliant economists, I will hedge my bets and tell you it may be, but then again it may not be. But what I can tell you with certainty is that Acentic’s Panorama solution is proof that High Definition with an evolved interactive system can be delivered over any network, whether coax or IP, and cost effectively allow hotels of all levels to offer an outstanding guest experience.

Imagine sitting in a hotel bar and buying a movie and Internet bundle on your iPhone so you can access the hotel’s WiFi. When you’ve finished your drink, head upstairs to your room and watch the movie you purchased on your television. At the same time, you can access the Internet on both your laptop and iPhone, without paying twice.

Up until now, the hotel industry has lacked true convergence between the TV user interface experience and the interface used for high speed Internet access. Hotels need to embrace this new approach where guests can pay for the Internet, surf the web, buy movie bundles and utilize guest services on screens across all platforms, such as the television, laptop, iPad and smart phone.

The challenge for hoteliers is to create the same look and feel across the board so that hotel branding is consistent on the “purchase page” of all platforms. Once the hotel masters that (done easily with Acentic’s Core GUI cross-platform approach), they can also cross-merchandise. This is a huge step forward to build new revenue streams. On the log-in pages where movies are advertised, hotels can now upsell with incentives to buy the full bundle package for use on all devices.
 
Acentic’s Core GUI also allows the guest to access the Internet from two devices. For example, as mentioned above, someone with a laptop and iPhone can access the Internet on both devices, but pay only once regardless of where they are in the hotel – their room, the bar or restaurant, lobby or other public areas.
 
Acentic is offering this convergence now as a chance to boost revenue. In hotels that have launched the Acentic Core GUI together with Acentic Horizon high-speed Internet solution, the overall revenue has increased by an average of 41 percent compared to the previous year. This innovation is making the hotel stay much easier and more satisfying for guests. In addition to the direct revenue increases, these new products and features are driving a major impact on GSTS (guest satisfaction).

Let’s give guests a more enjoyable stay and less headaches while making money on more bundles purchased!

One of the best parts of my job is staying in hotels and understanding the different approaches with which hotel staff communicate with their guests. Such a key part of the guest experience, one that hoteliers spend large amounts of time and money on, is training staff to adopt an attitude that ensures that guests feel welcomed, looked after and recognized. No matter how much training and money the hotel puts into the staff, it doesn’t replace the natural ability of certain human beings to communicate their warmth to other people. Add to that the memory of an elephant, and a hotel has the perfect employee. I recently walked into a property in which I hadn’t, to my regret, set foot in for over twelve months. I was pleasantly surprised when the barman clearly remembered me and even more astonishingly my name and immediately made me feel as if I was in a warm protective environment.

So to the barman of the Bel Ami hotel in Paris (sorry, try as I might, I just don’t have the same memory for names) - many thanks for making me feel welcomed and looked after. Whilst technology will never replace a human interaction, we continuously strive to make our products interact in a natural way with guests, becoming a seamless part of their in-room activity.