Swisscom has successfully deployed its award-winning* ConnectedHotel TV on coaxial cable at Madrid’s NH Parque Avenidas hotel. ConnectedHotel TV bundles wired and wireless Internet access, interactive live television and video-on-demand into the most compact, single-device solution design. The successful Swisscom pilot at the NH Parque Avenidas demonstrates the solution’s utility and cost-saving potential, especially for hotels without structured Ethernet cabling.
ConnectedHotel TV is the first hospitality solution that connects hotels, regardless of their network cabling, to the world of convergent guest technologies.
The centrepiece of the Swisscom solution is a purpose-built LG TV screen that is compatible with Ethernet, Coax and VDSL technologies.
An integrated modulator converts all incoming data into IP data streams, while an Ethernet switch splits the signal into different guest services.
This way, the TV screen also serves as a wireless access point and offers an extendable Ethernet cable on its back through which guests can connect their laptops and media tablets.
ConnectedHotel TV easily integrates with all standard Property Management Systems, thereby allowing the hotel to customise the TV menu to the individual guest and enabling its front desk staff to send personalised guest messages in real time.
“We are constantly screening the market for new technologies that offer greater ease of use and improved service to the guest”, says Juan Carlos Escoda, General Manager at NH Parque Avenidas. “The new Swisscom solution has retained our attention with its exceptional guest appeal, especially its speed and interactivity, the intuitive navigation and its high degree of customization. At the same time, ConnectedHotel TV offers undeniable operational advantages. We can cover several guest services through one room device while operating the solution on either our Coax or our Ethernet infrastructure.”
Less is more
The main novelty of ConnectedHotel TV lies in the absence of any external equipment. Without the need for set-top boxes, extra cabling or separate WiFi access points, ConnectedHotel TV drastically reduces the hotel’s acquisition, installation and running costs. Over a 5-year service period, a 200 bed room property will save up to 8’000 euros on electricity, not to mention the savings resulting from lower maintenance needs.
Mr Escoda adds: “The integrated Wireless access point is not only an amazing innovation but also the most practical solution for all parties concerned. The guest is sure to have sufficient bandwidth in his room because of the central location of his access point. At the same time, we as a hotel operator we do not need to maintain a separate Wireless infrastructure any more. ConnectedHotel TV kills several birds with one stone.”
Comments Jorge Ramos, Sales Director Spain & Portugal for Swisscom Hospitality Services: “Now the benefits of IP convergence are really becoming tangible for the hotel industry. ConnectedHotel TV is a huge step forward in that it merges multiple guest services into a single device on one converged network. This is where Swisscom brings unique value to the hotel industry: As a major telecommunications provider we are constantly exposed to user trends and emerging guest needs. This is reflected in our product design, which favours simplicity and cost-effectiveness for guests and hoteliers alike.”
ConnectedHotel TV has already been installed in several properties in the United Kingdom and Germany. The NH Parque Avenidas is the first hotel to run the Swisscom solution on Coax technology. Further deployments are ongoing in Italy, Switzerland and Romania.
* Swisscom’s ConnectedHotel TV was recently voted best product of the year by the readers of German hotel magazine Top Hotel. The award of the Top Hotel STAR AWARD 2010 further distinguishes Swisscom’s ConnectedHotel TV as one of the industry’s prime technology innovations.
For further information, please visit www.connectedhotel.tv
A video demonstrating how simple it is to adopt ConnectedHotel TV through your existing Coax Cabling can be seen through the screen image below…