Technology in hotel rooms: Why TVs could become obsolete and WiFi is king

Hotels used to lead the way with in-room technology, impressing guests with the latest trends in television and media in their rooms, but many have found that it’s no longer possible to keep up with the rate of change and stay profitable.

 

Guest attitudes have changed too, with many opting to watch films on their laptops or phones, which creates its own challenges, such as supplying a robust WiFi network vital for a satisfactory guest experience.

 

Informed by exclusive research conducted by The Caterer in partnership with Ruckus Networks, a group of hospitality technology specialists debated how hotels could strike the balance between delivering the infrastructure that would offer an experience expected by today’s guest and future-proofing their business against investments that would soon become obsolete or not provide the necessary return on investment.

 

The panel

From left

• Rob Flinter, regional general manager, Westmont Hospitality Group
• Steve Johnson, senior director of EMEA hospitality, Ruckus Networks
• Jane Pendlebury, chief executive, HOSPA
• Rachelle Peterson, founder and chief executive, Loqia Group
• Mark Read, IT director, Firmdale Hotels
• James Richmond, chief executive, Nevaya
• Darren Sweetland, chief financial officer, Soho House
• Steve Waldron, chief information officer/chief financial officer, Grange Hotels

 

 

Pace of technological change

Embracing technology continues to be a challenge for the hospitality industry for various reasons. Darren Sweetland, chief financial officer at Soho House said: “The challenge across the business is when you can’t see the return on investment because it’s too far away. We have seen a recent shift to technology that saves money, but again, that’s evolving so quickly that companies are unsure if they would soon need to upgrade [again]. The challenge is about making the wrong decision: do you buy now or do you hold back?”

 

“We have to accept that we can’t compete with what customers have at home”

 

Steve Waldron, chief information officer and chief financial officer at Grange Hotels, agreed that the speed of change is a challenge: “The pace of change in technology has accelerated and we have to accept that we can’t compete with what customers have at home. We have to get off that treadmill and instead select niche technology products that impress guests.”

 

TVs are indicative of the problem with in-room technology, according to Richmond, who said the average lifespan of a TV is seven to 10 years. However, he added that they can be kept up-to-date without having to resort to costly ‘rip and replace’ by instead importing streaming capabilities into devices.