Hundreds of surveyed guests and hoteliers demonstrate the growing importance of experience personalization, security and privacy as well as ease of use in meeting modern in-room entertainment needs.
Clearwater, Fla.— June 28, 2022 — Hotel Internet Services (HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions for the hospitality industry, has announced the release of its latest white paper focusing on the shifting demands of guests over what counts as a modern guestroom entertainment experience. Available for download via the HIS website and at booth #311 during HITEC Orlando (June 27-30), the new white paper takes findings from recent surveys conducted on hundreds of guests and hoteliers to shed light on the technologies and capabilities most vital to adopting a successful in-room entertainment strategy.
Entitled “Elevating Guests’ Personal Content Using Hotel Technology,” the HIS white paper notably serves as a follow up to guest and hotelier surveys conducted in 2018 in order to demonstrate how trends and expectations have further developed. Of significant note is the continued declining relevance of traditional in-room entertainment offerings in addressing guest needs, with just 18 percent of hoteliers currently providing video-on-demand services. In contrast, demands for content streaming abilities for guestroom televisions have only increased, with 72 percent of guests now seeking an experience similar to Amazon’s Fire Stick for consumer homes. Hoteliers are increasingly likewise observing the shift in entertainment trends, with 62 percent agreeing that the ability to offer streaming abilities is more important than providing access to cable or satellite channels.
However, the HIS white paper further reveals that successfully catering to today’s guest entertainment needs involves more than just offering access to personal streaming subscriptions. Crucial to ensuring high adoption rates of an entertainment platform is the need to address guest concerns over data privacy and security. This is demonstrated by more than 80 percent of guests sharing concerns over inputting streaming usernames and passwords directly into a guestroom TV. Instead, 68 percent indicated a preference to utilize casting technology as an alternative method to gaining access to personal content without placing sensitive information at risk. Likewise essential to guests is being able to interact with a platform that is intuitive and that sidesteps complications and learning curves. The white paper significantly discusses how the use of QR codes can sidestep otherwise challenging device-pairing processes with casting systems that can leave guests feeling frustrated and resigned to viewing their content on smaller personal device screens.
“By comparing 2022’s survey findings to those of previous years, hoteliers can see for themselves how the ability to offer a personalized, safe and user-friendly in-room entertainment experience has only become more essential to attracting the business of today’s guests,” said Gary Patrick, CEO of Hotel Internet Services. “The expectations for a hotel’s guestroom entertainment offerings continue to shift as new streaming services and technologies emerge in the consumer space, and we look forward to hoteliers both at HITEC and throughout the world leveraging the insights of our white paper in order to successfully adapt and run a competitive business.”
Additional key findings in the HIS white paper further include a growing desire among guests to leverage in-room entertainment platforms as a more convenient means to interact with various hotel services. For example, 55 percent of guest respondents indicated that they would like to use the guestroom television to order amenities such as in-room dining. Another 42 percent would like to have the ability to make onsite restaurant reservations while 34 percent desired to have the option to communicate with hotel staff and departments using the guestroom TV.
To download a copy of HIS’s 2022 guestroom entertainment white paper, please click here. To schedule a demo with HIS during HITEC Orlando in order to discover how hoteliers can keep pace with evolving guest entertainment trends and expectations, please contact Shelly Chandler at 866-265-7575 Ext. 737 or email shelly@hotelwifi.com.
