The hotel TV gets smarter

LOS ANGELES — The hotel room TV is now starting to look like your mobile device.

A number of hotel TV manufacturers have developed the capability to let travelers stream content from their devices to the hotel TV. Some are even making it possible for the hotel TV to mirror exactly what is on your smartphone screen.

It's just one way that manufacturers and content providers are trying to keep the hotel TV relevant at a time when people are used to watching anything they want when they want to on their iPads and smartphones.

From providing new types of content to letting guests stream their own Netflix shows onto the TV, manufacturers at last week's HITEC hotel technology conference said they are finding new ways to appeal to the modern-day traveler.

"It's being more topical, more relevant, more conscious that not every traveler has the same needs," says Mike Ribero, CEO of Sonifi, which provides content to nearly 1.4 million hotel guestrooms worldwide.

Some examples:

• Sonifi is offering short films and self-help videos priced from 99 cents to $4.99 in addition to the much more expensive Hollywood blockbusters. The company's internal research has shown that on average, a hotel guest will watch about 30 minutes of TV in the evening. The company will also work with individual hotel brands to tailor content to their customers. For example, if a hotel has a focus on wellness-oriented travel, Sonifi can provide more content about health and fitness.
• Quadriga has introduced technology to let guests stream content wirelessly from their iOS devices onto the in-room HD TV by using Airplay from Apple. Once the device is connected to the hotel's Wi-Fi network, guests just have to tap the Airplay icon in their mobile app. The TV will then mirror the mobile device screen. Guests can check their e-mail, look at photos, and play games on the TV.
• Quadriga has also introduced a new Personal Video Recorder and Pause Live TV that lets guests pause and record programs and watch them until they check out.
• Samsung has technology called AllShare Cast that allows the Smart TV to mirror exactly what's on the guest's Android device without downloading an app. Guests can look at e-mails and photos. If they have Netflix, Hulu, or other subscriptions, they can watch that content. Its Samsung Smart View 2.0 enables interaction between the Smart TV and an iOS and Windows-based device through an app available in the iTunes store. Guests can either push content from the mobile device to the TV or pull content from the TV. They can then watch that content anywhere on the property.

"Business travelers, in general, have grown accustomed to hotel rooms with really bad content and as a result they have grown used to bringing their own devices and bringing their own subscriptions," says Fred Crespo, director of technology and business development for Samsung's Enterprise Business Division-Hospitality.

Josh Weiss, vice president of Guest Technology Innovation for Hilton Worldwide, says the technology won't catch on if it's too complicated. But he thinks the companies have been making progress.

"We know that 'access my own content' is something that growing segments of travelers want, and we know it will continue to get both more pervasive and more elegant from a process standpoint," he says.

He added: "I think there are solutions now that make it easier. It's getting there."