ADB | November 03, 2016
  • Guests want an in-room TV viewing experience equal to or better than home PLUS Over The Top services like Screencasting that lets them plug in their own devices or screencast content directly to the in-room TV
  • Hoteliers need an IRE solution that is simple to install and quick to manage, features current content and capabilities, and can be made personal with branded content and interfaces

November 3, 2016 – Broomfield, Colo. – Hoteliers knee deep in budget season need to keep In-Room Entertainment top of mind for 2017. Recent studies show that guests want a better interactive TV experience while hoteliers want one that is more cost effective. vuTyme by ADB delivers a complete set of services like live TV, VOD, PPV, concierge, digital signage and targeted advertisements. It also offers exciting features such as Searchable Interactive Program Guide (IPG); Over-the-Top (OTT) services access like Screencasting content from a guests own device to the TV; and the ability to pause, rewind, fast-forward and record live TV using its patented DVR-Lite™ technology.

Consider these 2016 findings:

  • A recent study released by the GBTA Foundation (the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association) shows that business travelers in the U.S. and Canada want technology amenities that “most hotels do not currently offer.” When asked “Which new hotel technologies are business travelers most interested in,” 34% said “offering streaming services (ie. Netflix and HBO Go) on guest televisions.”
  • The 2016 Lodging Technology Study reports that 56% of hoteliers are planning to invest in guestroom technology upgrades in 2016/2017. Ninety-five percent said they either use, plan to upgrade or plan to add HD television content in 2016/2017. IPTV / Smart TV was among the Top 10 new technology roll outs.
  • According to the 2016 In-Room Entertainment Preference Study, 73% of Millennials consider TV “Very Important.” Currently, 62.1% of Millennials, 52.2% of Gen X and 17.2% of Boomers are using their own devices to stream media while at the hotel. Guests PREFER to watch streaming media via the hotel room TV.

ADB has the technical and behavioral experience that no other supplier has when designing, developing and deploying the next generation of iTV for the hotel environment. With 100 million at-home television set-top boxes and broadband gateway systems installed around the world, ADB is intimately familiar with what guests have, what they use, how they use it, and what they want. This, combined with recent research, gives ADB the technical and behavioral experience that no other supplier has when designing, developing and deploying the next generation of iTV for the hotel environment.

vuTyme provides Guests with:

  • 200+ HD channels, a Searchable IPG, thousands of FREE Video on Demand titles and a Pay-per-view offering.
  • Easy access to their personal accounts and content via OTT applications and Screencasting via vuCaster™.
  • Access to folio review and check out; hotel amenities and local information; news, weather and sports programming; service requests.
  • Meetings information and group agendas via a digital signage for in rooms and public spaces.
  • Social media connections, inputting housekeeping or maintenance service requests and receiving hotel/group messaging direct to the in-room TV.

vuTyme provides Hoteliers with:

  • A robust and stable PMS Interface (including Oracle).
  • A dedicated branded channel.
  • An eco-system of content services enabling guests to get what they want.
  • Unbounding the limits of what TV can do.
  • An IRE system that is continually enhanced via intelligent Cloud Management.

Get Screencasting via vuCaster Hoteliers with screencasting on their 2017 IRE technology wish list, ADB last month released a complementary solution called vuCaster (Google Cast™ built-in) that augments vuTyme by allowing users to “cast” their personalised programming from YouTube, Netflix, Pandora and other premium content providers onto the bigger in-room screen. Guests can also stream their personal photos, videos, and music to the TV through vuCaster, while at the same time freeing up their mobile device for other activities.

“Before finalizing 2017 budgets, hoteliers need to understand that interactive TV content – or lack thereof – has a direct impact on guest satisfaction and loyalty,” said Chris Dinallo, ADB CTO of Business TV. “If hotels are not offering the level of in-room entertainment services that guests want – especially Millennials – they will go elsewhere, period. vuTyme gives guests everything they want, but at a price-point and with the simplicity and branded content and interfaces that every hotelier requires. Don’t just renew your existing agreement without first taking a look at vuTyme.”

vuTyme is offered as a managed service to hotels using the global cloud infrastructure or cable company central office. ADB offers 24/7 monitoring to ensure reliability and delivery of service. vuTyme requires no capital expenditure and hotel head-end equipment – just a compact set-back box discretely mounted behind the TV.

NOTE: “Google Cast and the Google Cast badge are trademarks of Google Inc.”