How many of you chose Betamax over VHS? Sorry to hear it. I'm sure it felt like a good idea at the time, but ultimately the better technology did not prevail and VHS won the day, and our shelf space. Being an early adopter has its risks in the consumer environment and the same can be said in the hospitality guest room.

I was invited to speak at a hotel conference on the impact of 3D TV in the guest environment. Clearly this is exciting stuff and everybody wants to hear more about it, but how many of you actually don those 3D glasses at home? If you do, where do you find the content to watch?

Despite the hype, 3D content remains limited and traditional broadcasters are battling the lack of penetration as well as the total lack of broadcast standards. We are even seeing some of the major PayTV providers such as Canal Plus in France abandon its 3D trials until a day when the barriers to roll out are removed, and more importantly, when content is available. This is a pragmatic approach when one considers that HD is still not mainstream in Europe. So while we play with 3D and it is fun to think about, we suggest that as hoteliers you concentrate first on the basics which are still the migration to digital and HD. You don't want to be stuck with a shelf full of Beta in a VHS future.

We are thrilled to be offering our latest technology services to the newly-opened InterContinental Moscow Tverskaya. With its official opening at the end of November 2011, InterContinental Moscow now counts as one of the most upscale and luxury hotels in Moscow, and we are pleased to be providing them an iTV platform commensurate to that luxury. To Moscow we go!

Take a walk around a landfill sometime. Okay, admittedly, this is not your average Sunday afternoon stroll, but were it to be, I am pretty certain you would come across a few cast aside pieces of technology that used to function as in-room hotel technology.

Today you would find CRT TVs by the ton, but not so long ago they were all operating in hotels and hoteliers had no choice but to use them. You would also find other, more obscure, pieces of hardware you wouldn’t imagine placing in the living room of your worst enemy. You might even find one of my favorite bizarre technology choices for hotels, the in-room keyboard.

In hotels, you would find the in-room keyboard in all sorts of places: by the side of the TV, in the drawer of a desk covered in dust, sitting on the minibar with scratches earned during its tenure as an improvised bottle-opener. What you rarely ever see are signs of use. People just don't need it. If interactive TV is to satisfy guests, it should be easy enough to use with a simple remote control, just like at home.

How many of you have a keyboard at home to drive your TV experience? Probably none of you. The typical TV experience is one of relaxation -- you are a "viewer" more than a "user," and are so by choice. But what about the Internet on TV experience? To get the full value out of the Internet, you obviously benefit from the use of a keyboard. This is where the experience is getting confused. There is a place for a "viewer" and a place for a "user" and they should not be treated as the same experience. Being a "user" effectively rules out the TV as a device for the provision of Internet -- it is a device best suited for viewing. There are a whole host devices better suited for Internet use: the laptop, the tablet or even the smart phone. So why shoehorn everything together?

Ultimately, few of you access the Internet via the TV at home. Possibly, you access simple TV-centric applications, but not the Internet as we know on a keyboard powered device. So why would you want to change your approach when you get to a hotel? Guest satisfaction is gained by the intelligent implementation of technology, and generally if a device is used in a certain manner at home it will be used in the same manner at the hotel. Intelligent technology implementation means spending money wisely to avoid having your new investment soon end up in the landfill.

In case you missed the first of our fall webinar series, "What's possible in the Hotel Room of the Future," you can check out the recording here:

https://acentic.webex.com/acentic/ldr.php?AT=pb&SP=MC&rID=42625212&rKey=0F4CFAD05B96F861

In the webinar, we talked about the future of The Cloud and how it is influencing the way the hospitality industry operates. We outlined some of the challenges of The Cloud, and how Acentic is overcoming those challenges to bring better service and savings to hotels across the world. We also answered many questions on topics like network links and security around P2P distribution. So, if you want to be up to date on The Cloud, you should check out our webinar now https://acentic.webex.com/acentic/ldr.php?AT=pb&SP=MC&rID=42625212&rKey=0F4CFAD05B96F861 and keep an eye open for the next in our series, scheduled for Q1-2012.

Our fall webinar series, "What's possible in the Hotel Room of the Future" starts today at 4:00 pm, Europe Time! Join us as we talk about content in the cloud and what it means to the hospitality industry. As you can see from our preview slide here, we are going to cover a lot, so you don't want to miss it.

Sign in to participate in our webinar! www.acentic.com/cloud-webinar

Our fall webinar series is going to focus on the exciting future of the hotel industry and how technology is shaping the hotel of the future.

For our first webinar in this series, taking place in October, 2011, we will talk about Content in The Cloud. Join us for an insider’s view of what it takes to deliver content from the cloud for more reliable HD movie distribution in hotel rooms.

We will show you how content transmission via Acentic Cloud Services provides key benefits for hoteliers such as:

● Simplified distribution of thousands of HD movies and content compared to transmission via satellite
● Faster transmission with no negative effects on HD picture quality
● No geographical transmission boundaries as with satellite—Acentic can easily transmit movies to additional continents, including the United States and Asia
● Cost-effective decentralised movie distribution and virtual storage space that enables hotels to share content with each other, significantly reducing transmission costs

Exact date and time will be communicated shortly. Be sure not to miss it!

Next up, join us  for our perspectives on  further hot subjects for the hospitality industry such as high speed internet access in the hotel room, Smart TV and hospitality focussed Mobile Apps. More to come soon!

TV technology is on the fast track these days. It seems like not a month passes when a TV manufacturer doesn’t announce a new smart TV. With all this buzz about smart TVs, it was just a matter of time before hotels picked up the topic, discussed and predicted the end of system integrators and Pay TV. Smart TVs are arriving in earnest.

However, what most decision makers do not realize is that smart TVs are only as smart as the applications that are developed for them. The purchase of a smart TV also requires hoteliers to think about which applications they require and more specifically, which applications are best suited for the hotel environment.

As system integrators, we are working closely with the TV manufacturers  to develop application suites that fully leverage the capabilities of the TV and meet the needs of the hotel guests whilst at the same time providing hoteliers with a return on investment. In other words, it’s the applications that make the TV smart.

For example, Acentic launched our brand new CoreUI and due to its system architecture we were able to retro-fit over 500 hotels with this brand new Guest User Interface. The new CoreUI enables the hotel to choose from a variety of what we call "On-Screen Apps" which enable the hotel to offer a lot of new services beyond simple payTV and hotel information.

We at Acentic are focused on providing services that fall into two kinds of applications, the ones bringing the hotel services to guests and the neat little helper apps that allow guests to get flight information, find out about the weather at their next stop, or simply order a sandwich. Both types of applications are needed for a truly smart TV environment and need to be integrated within a wider interactive strategy that also entertains guests and provides the property with a return on investment today but also tomorrow.

Today’s technology is rapidly evolving and the software applications that make devices smart are evolving even faster. In such an environment a system integrator  that can deliver the latest smart technology but also ensure that your platform is upgraded through the years is key for both the property, the property's finance director and impotantly the guests.

Online transactions have gone up over the last decade; of that, there is no doubt. Consumer behaviour has changed dramatically, a change seen in online shopping and with online reservations. With the help of today’s savvy technology—iPhones, smartphones, tablets and laptops—online shopping has gone from a trend to a ubiquitous part of the consumer landscape. We are so used to online purchases that a 2010 Social Shopping US Study (seen here) found that 80% of the survey participants strongly preferred to do their own research and shopping online rather than speak to a knowledgeable sales associate in-store.
 
So why shouldn’t such purchase methods be an option in hotels? Wouldn’t it save guests time, money and unnecessary stress? After all, in the current hospitality market, smart hotel in-room technology is just as important as a comfortable bed—travellers are no different than the average consumer. And, in-room TVs and interfaces have developed so much that they are able to adapt to numerous features, so the technology is certainly there.

Acentic’s latest reservation and ordering on-screen app embraces the technology of today. With the new intuitive Guest User Interface, hotel guests will be able to operate multiple reservations and orders for several hotel facilities and external facilities. From the hotel TV, they will be able to order room service, laundry service, restaurant bookings and more. They will then receive direct confirmation messages or further information regarding their orders and reservations, completing the communication. Let’s start communicating with guests, while offering them the familiar ease of online-shopping via the hotel in-room TV.

Ready to order? Press OK!

Everybody’s been hyping sustainability over the last decade, at least in the world outside of our industry. Our industry has been quietly talking about it only since a a couple of years. Are we not seeing the benefits of claiming a green image, or don’t we see the (financial) benefits clear enough?

Did you know that research shows that 10% of all travelers would stay at a hotel with a clear sustainability policy, over one that doesn’t?

Surely hotels have been applying the towel-policy but can we call that sustainability?  It’s certainly a good start but we’re still relying on guests, who are ignorant about it and think that when they’ve paid for an – in their eyes – expensive room, they want to make use of everything in the room. Including all of these towels. So perhaps that’s a bad example and it’s not a driver of a hotel’s the green image. But what is driving this and how can we support you?

Just as an example, I recently booked a conference in a renowned hotel chain. In their offer, it was clearly stated that the hotel did everything to reduce carbon emissions during our stay. A good step forward from the towels-policy, but unfortunately not really concrete. Is this already an image builder (good or bad, up to you)?
A well known and successful hotel image builder is the Marriott Green Initiative. This programme is  concrete in terms of energy and CO2 saving and the guest is becoming aware of this throughout their complete experience at the hotel (before, during and after their stay). So it’s rather on a hotel’s core business strategy to differentiate from another while saving money in its operations and communicating this openly to its guests.

Exactly, saving money! And isn’t that what we’re all after? A green image is (only) interesting when it attracts more visitors, and more visitors on the long run can only be achieved when sustainability is considered into a brand’s core strategy (otherwise it may soon come across as fake). When it’s part of the core strategy it will also save costs. So at the end, doesn’t sustainability, when applied correctly, both save money and  bring in more recurring clientele? Then why don’t we see more of these best practices, and why don’t we have one hotel brand in mind which lives and breathes sustainability?

Is there something we can do as technology suppliers? Are we clear enough in our communications, and if we aren’t, what should we improve? Let me give you an example with our PrimeSuite TVs and Acentic’s Panorama as this would be close to your interests. We’re known as not the cheapest solution in the market, and we don’t aspire to be. However, over the lifetime of the product, we offer a better financial result for your operations as we help you save money and build your sustainability strategy resulting in repeat business. Acentic’s system - with PrimeSuite TVs - runs on only a small STB rather than a DVB-tuner or a mini computer, saving you 91% in energy costs. With the PrimeSuite TVs you will save another €20 per year per TV versus the average currently installed sets or competition. The combination of Philips and Acentic results in reduced lifetime cost or TCO, rather than plainly focusing on the initial cost!

Think cost saving, think repeat business, think sustainability. Let us know what we can do to help you!
I invite you to discuss this with us on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter (key words: PhilipsHotelTV).

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