Hoteliers with updated television issues also have to grapple with the difficulty of bringing high-definition content to guests. Since the days of cathode-ray tube sets, most hotels have used programming providers of pay-per-view media to boost revenue. In today's iPad era, however, more guests are bringing their content with them or remotely accessing their personal video stash on the Web.
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"We chose not to do PPV because [some of the] models are pretty much broken, given the Internet, Netflix and people connecting to DVRs," said Andy Pettingill, director of hotel operations for Western States Lodging & Management. "Our hotels that actually have those systems are not breaking even, so we chose not to make the investment into a revenue source that's not a revenue source anymore."
But moving away from pay-per-view services can complicate the design and simplicity of guestroom entertainment solutions.
"Starting with our Frisco [Texas] Homewood Suites property, about three years ago, we wanted to get away from PPV and decided to go with a local cable provider," said Matthew Newton, president of Magnolia Lodging. "At first it looked to be great because you get 140 channels and digital music from cable. Our lineup was amazing, but they had to put converter boxes in the rooms and we found out it frustrated guests."
Newton compares the diminishing "wow" factor of modern televisions to that of high-speed Internet in the early days of the information boom.
"Two or three years ago you could still get that 'wow' factor," Newton said. "Now people aren't going to change brands because this one has a 42-inch screen and that has a 37-inch screen. But if you have a box TV, you're still going to be left in the cold."
45 percent
Time spent viewing video online increased 45 percent in January 2011 compared to January 2010.
Source: The Nielsen Company
asheivachman@questex.com
By Andrew Sheivachman
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
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