Just days before EquipHotel (Paris, 2–5 November, stand G045, Hall 7.3), Wifirst is presenting its TV offering for the hotel industry.
Nicolas Bollengier, Head of Product, explains how these solutions meet travellers’ changing expectations and help hotels modernise their in-room TV experience.
In-room TV is changing. How can hotels benefit?
The TV remains an essential fixture in the guest room, but guest expectations have moved on: they want a connected, personalised experience just like at home, with easy access to their own content and streaming platforms.
For hoteliers, the TV is also becoming a genuine communication and promotional channel, allowing them to share useful information and showcase the hotel’s services directly in the room.
Because Wifirst controls the entire technical chain (channel reception, IPTV distribution, TV portal and Cast), we can support this shift by delivering a richer experience for guests and a tool that adds value for hotels.
What difference does built-in Chromecast make for a hotel?
Guests can access their streaming content directly on the TV, with no external set-top box. For the hotel, that means less equipment to install and manage, less risk of devices being stolen or unplugged, simpler monitoring, and lower installation and running costs.
That said, this experience depends on a suitable network infrastructure and good WiFi coverage. That’s why we support hotels throughout the roll-out, from technical preparation through to go-live.
The TV portal plays a central role in this experience. What does it allow hotels to offer guests?
It’s an interface installed on the TV and customised to the hotel’s branding: logo, background image and languages.
Guests will find Chromecast access details, WiFi login information and the Room Directory, which brings together information about the hotel and its services.
Thanks to integration with the PMS, hoteliers can personalise the welcome, for example by displaying a greeting with the guest’s name as soon as they enter the room. The portal thus becomes a genuine communication channel for promoting the hotel’s services.
Further features can be added as needed: a programme guide, VOD with Airtime, Canal+ Room Streaming, or messaging and wake-up calls via the PMS.
We use the cloud version of Uniguest’s Hub, which removes the need for an on-site server.
In-room streaming also raises security concerns. How does Wifirst support hotels on this?
Security and privacy are paramount: every guest must be able to enjoy their content with complete peace of mind, without another guest being able to interact with their devices.
To achieve this, Wifirst has developed RAN (Room Area Network) technology, which creates a secure, dedicated connection bubble for each room. Every guest benefits from a private network on which their devices can communicate with one another, just as they would at home, while rooms remain fully isolated from each other.
Network access to the Chromecast is secured, and connection keys can be renewed automatically, either at regular intervals or in sync with the hotel’s PMS.
Thanks to this automation, as soon as a guest checks out, the session is reset for the next guest. This strengthens security between stays without any action required from hotel staff.
Discover Wifirst’s RAN technology
An independent hotel and a large group don’t have the same needs. How does the offering adapt?
The offering is modular. We work with what’s already in place: a hotel can keep its existing coaxial infrastructure or take advantage of a refurbishment to move to IPTV.
With the portal’s extensive customisation options, we can tailor the experience to each hotel in line with its brand guidelines, or deliver a consistent experience across an entire hotel chain. This flexibility means we can work with a range of TV models and even retain an existing TV estate.
What are the key strengths of your TV offering for hotels?
Our TV offering enables hotels to provide a modern, connected experience, just like at home, combined with the comfort and services of a hotel. It also makes life easier for hoteliers by bringing services together on a single screen and adapting to their existing infrastructure. And as a managed service monitored and supported by Wifirst, it leaves hoteliers free to focus on running their business.
