Hotel TV: from cable socket to guest channel

For a long time the television in the hotel room was a device you switched on and got annoyed with: wrong channel order, no remote, no streaming. That has changed thoroughly – and not because of the picture, but because of the software behind it.

What hospitality sets do differently

A hospitality television can be managed centrally: channel list, start volume, start channel and language are defined once and distributed to all rooms. New sets adopt the settings themselves when first switched on. What could still be done by hand with twenty rooms is, with a hundred and twenty, the difference between an afternoon and two weeks of work.

The big systems are called Samsung LYNK, LG Pro:Centric and Philips MediaSuite. They differ in details but follow the same idea: the screen is part of hotel operations, not a piece of furniture.

Streaming without a data protection problem

The most important advance of recent years: guests can sign in with their own account – Netflix, Disney+, whatever they use at home – and at check-out the credentials are deleted automatically. Alternatively the guest casts from their phone via Google Cast or AirPlay without signing in at all.

That is exactly the difference from a television from the electronics store: there the last guest's login stays in the device.

The screen as a sales surface

A welcome screen with name, room number and departure time feels personal and costs nothing. Below it, restaurant, wellness, room service and the current bill can be placed. Establishments that use this report noticeably more bookings in their own restaurant – simply because the menu is visible when the guest decides.

What counts in planning

What a room costs

The effort per standard room depends on screen size, mount, cabling and setup; from the second dozen rooms it drops noticeably. Add the central management, which depending on the system is billed as a one-off purchase or an annual fee per device.

For a property with sixty rooms this is an investment to be calculated over the service life of eight to ten years – then a manageable amount per room night remains.

The most common planning mistake

The network. A hotel TV system needs a stable connection in every room, either via coaxial cable for classic channels or via network for IP-based systems. Anyone who only notices after ordering the devices that the existing cabling dates from the nineties loses time and budget.

That is why we measure before every quote: signal level at several sockets, network throughput on different floors, condition of the distributors. That costs half a day and prevents nasty surprises.

Signage beyond the room

Establishments that have taken the step almost always expand: a screen at reception with the day's programme, a menu board in the restaurant, room signs in front of the seminar rooms that change with the bookings. Because everything comes from the same interface, no additional maintenance effort arises.

That pays off particularly in the seminar business: anyone who sees their company name on the screen in front of the room feels expected.