Hotel iTV Guide ‘Better Than Home’
Colo.-based Roomlinx Inc., a developer of interactive TV (iTV) applications for the hospitality industry, unveiled its Interactive "click and go" Program Guide (IPG) aimed at hotel guests.
The Roomlinx IPG currently is being used by guests at Hyatt Regency New Orleans and Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center; is set to be installed in 60,000 rooms in other full-service Hyatt properties across United States, Canada and the Caribbean.
Here’s how the Roomlinx IPG works: Guests press the guide button on the remote or click the TV icon on the iTV screen to display the IPG. Navigation offers choices like page up, page down, auto scroll and rollover functionality to display program descriptions. Once a program has been selected, one click takes the guest directly to the show.
Other features include:
>> Genre filter. The guest can choose from a list of popular program genres, including movies, sports, news and family, to view the schedule of programs in that category.
>> Keyword search. Guests can drill down even further by entering a word like "baseball" or "food" in the search field and see all the programs with that word in the title or description.
"We’ve purposely designed features that appeal to the guest who expects an in-room entertainment system to be a step ahead of — not behind — the TV back home," notes Franks Watervoort, Roomlinx’s CIO. "When it comes to choosing a TV program, guests don’t want to spend time flipping through channels. Nor are they interested in hunting around for a printed channel guide, especially since it provides such limited information. Guests want a quick, easy way to find what programs are available so they can make a faster, more informed decision. The Roomlinx IPG helps them do that."
He adds, “Hoteliers benefit, too. Property owners tell us this feature lets them eliminate the costs and complications associated with creating, printing and distributing paper channel guides in a variety of locations. It’s a greener option and, most importantly, it allows them to surprise their guests with a special amenity that makes the stay even better."
