Samsung Display Solutions for Hospitality Enhance guests convenience and pleasure through tailored content and high-quality displays
Contents Executive Summary 2 Industry Trends 3 Customer Challenges 4 Samsung Display Solution Capabilities 5 Modernize hotel ambience with techoration 5 Provide convenience for guest with technology 5 Simplify management and deployment 6 Samsung Display Solutions for Hospitality 7 Conclusion 7 Legal and Additional Information 8 Executive summary The hospitality landscape is shifting from traditional luxury, focused on decoration, to convenience using the latest technology. Traveling guests today are exposed to digital technology everywhere they turn. Hence, guests are now expecting the same level of technology from hotels as well, whether in the lobby, in-house restaurant and bar, reception desk, and ultimately the guest room. As hotel guest technology expectations rise, the hospitality industry is adapting quickly to the changing landscape. Hotels, where providing guests with the best services and comfort away from home has been the main focus, will now have to upgrade services and comfort with technology in mind by: Samsung Display Solutions for Hospitality address infusing technology with a hotel s luxury and convenience through: Modern and sophisticated display design Increased convenience of device connectivity and relevancy of digital signage Ease of content management and deployment for efficient, costeffective operation The hospitality industry is recognizing the potential of digital signage and advanced in-room entertainment technology to enhance the guest experience through the convenience of technology. Modernizing hotel ambience from decoration to techoration (technology and decoration) Providing convenience to address guest technology needs The hospitality industry should adhere to the technology expectations of today's tech-savvy guests. Minimizing operational overhead of the technology offerings 2
The hospitality industry is infusing technology into traditional luxury and convenience. Industry Trends Modern-day travelers view traveling as a wholesome experience closely related to their lifestyle. They are also consuming digital content from personal devices habitually. Social media and mobile content are dominating mediums in today's world. In particular, social media has become an effective medium where guests' experiences at hotels are immediately shared with global social circles. This communication vehicle has a powerful influence on driving returning and new guests to the hotel. Modern travelers look for a distinguished hotel stay experience, not necessarily the best class, but distinguished in its own class. Because technology is a large part of our daily lives, hotels turn to it to revitalize the hotel guest experience. ideal as collaboration materials are usually accessed on computers. Therefore, providing digital signage with digital connectivity to computers is becoming a solution of choice for hotels. Hotel luxury and convenience are no longer about extravagant decorations and concierge services, but rather about better technology assimilation with the décor and compatibility with guests' mobile technology devices. Progressive hotels are infusing technology with their unique offerings to accommodate the highly technologically aware guests of today. In light of the changes in the world outside the hotel environment, as well as guest expectations, the hospitality industry is bringing technology offerings inside the guest rooms, closest to the guests. The in-room TV has grown in size to match the large displays in the guests homes, and the TV offers more than just broadcasted channels and video on demand. In-room TVs now greet guests with a welcome message and inform them of various in-room amenities as well as promote various hotel facilities through the Hotel Information Service (HIS). To accommodate multiple digital gadgets carried by guests when traveling, many hotels provide a means to easily integrate the devices with in-room entertainment, not just the convenience of charging their power-hungry devices. Hotel lobbies have undergone a digital transformation, as well. Much of the printed information is now offered through digital signage. Thanks to the versatility of digital signage, in-house restaurant promotions may be shown and quickly alternated with a special chef's menu-of-the-day announcement. With international travelers on the rise, hotels are utilizing digital signage to communicate visually in multiple languages instead of relying on a multilingual concierge, who would be limited to just a few languages. Another reason for employing a digital concierge is the growing tendency of guests today to prefer indirect service instead of service in the traditional manner. Figure 1. Video wall welcoming guests From a business standpoint, hotels are also constantly seeking new revenue opportunities. Many hotels are opening up their event spaces as conference and meeting rooms to business travelers as well as to local corporations. To successfully turn event space into business space, an effective collaboration tool is necessary. Hotels are turning to digital signage for efficient and effective collaboration, which is 3
The challenge is to meet guests' technology expectations while optimizing hotel operational efficiency and luxury. Customer Challenges To keep pace with the industry trend emphasized on satisfying today's tech-savvy guests, hotels need to assess their requirements to meet guest expectation for luxury and convenience infused with technology. However, investment in new technology means not only upfront costs, but management and maintenance costs of the technology assets, as well. Additionally, each hotel should choose a technology solution that complements its unique identity. Installing smarter TVs in guest rooms to accommodate tech-savvy travelers, digital signage in lobbies to replace analog signage and transforming ballrooms to business conference areas pose the cost concern of operating all these digital assets. The administrative overhead of operating the in-room TV system and digital signage infra should therefore be optimized to minimize costs. A hotel guest room TV is the centerpiece of in-room entertainment, as well as being one of the first eye-catching elements a guest sees when walking into a room. Therefore, the design of the TV is an important consideration for the hotel to ensure that the TV blends in with the room s décor. Another set of basic requirements is that the hotel TV has above average picture quality and performance to be at least on par with top-of-the-line consumer TVs guests may have at home. Guests are familiar with the latest display technology, and hotels lagging behind will definitely have a negative impact on guest expectations of hotel luxury. Additionally, accommodating the multiple digital devices guests carry, along with the multimedia content on those devices, are other challenges to address. Guests will want to utilize the hotel s highquality in-room entertainment to easily stream their personal content. Therefore, the in-room TV will need to offer strong connectivity capabilities. To offer an enhanced in-room experience, guest room TVs are used as portals to serve as the HIS offering welcome message, as well as informing guests of other useful information during their stay. The hotel can greet guests with a personalized welcome message and communicate specific guest information and other relevant data by connecting the TV to the hotel infra. To promote in-room amenities and various in-house facilities on the TV, a set-top box (STB) is required to process and view the information. Figure 2. Display technology blended with room's decor "Our guests expect the in-room technology to be very advanced, very user-friendly, and very intuitive." - Mr. Ingvar Herland General Manager of Research and Technology, The Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited Hotel lobbies rolling out digital signage in place of printed signage are faced with a similar set of challenges. The design of the digital signage should complement the lobby s atmosphere. Plus, the picture quality should be superior to the in-room TVs in terms of contrast and brightness to enable the content to be clearly visible in bright daylight and lobby lighting. 4
Samsung Display Solutions for Hospitality enhance the guest experience with impactful, immersive content delivery. Samsung Display Solution Capabilities Samsung Display Solutions for Hospitality provide the hospitality industry the luxury and convenience of technology, while ensuring ease of operation and management. a much larger screen area with minimum effort, creating an excellent techoration element. Modernize hotel ambience with techoration Techoration (technology and decoration) is an effective tool of modernizing hotel ambience. Technology harmoniously infused with hotel decoration, without looking out of place or obtrusive, is the ideal modernization solution for hotels. Samsung Display Solutions for Hospitality offer design and other qualities that add technology yet blend in seamlessly with the surroundings. Hospitality Displays are Samsung s solution for in-room hotel TVs. Samsung Hospitality Displays incorporate the latest in its consumer TV designs. Narrow bezels and a slim thickness minimize the design effect Hospitality Displays may have on the hotel s distinctive in-room décor. Samsung s proprietary Video Purifier technology optimizes video content of any source to minimize noise while maximizing picture quality on the latest displays. Samsung Hospitality Display's sophisticated exterior design, coupled with crisp, clear picture quality, serve as excellent techoration and the centerpiece of guest room inroom entertainment. Samsung Hospitality Displays also include embedded functions, eliminating the need for STBs, reducing equipment and cable clutter in the guest rooms. Additionally, if the hotel wishes to make the guest room a WiFi zone, Hospitality Displays' internalized SoftAP function can eliminate yet another box and more cable clutter from the room s décor. Samsung Hospitality Displays' internalized functions provide simplicity to the modern ambience of in-room entertainment. Large Format Displays (LFDs) are Samsung s digital signage solution for techorating hotel lobbies and business spaces, as well as other in-house facilities such as restaurants and workout areas. The ultranarrow bezel and slim thickness of LFDs, made possible through Samsung s LED display technology, enable them to blend in with their surroundings wherever they are installed. This sleek design eliminates the need for special packaging previously required to hide the bulkier design of older CCFL and LCD displays. The high brightness of LFDs enables clear visibility of display content in both the bright natural and artificial light of the lobby area. To accommodate large lobby areas, multiple LFDs can be grouped together to form a video wall for Figure 3. Techoration to modernize hotel ambience Provide convenience for guest with technology Convenience is an important consideration for guests when choosing hotels, and now their needs are more technology oriented. Samsung Display Solutions for Hospitality offer the technology convenience of connectivity, user content streaming and a digital hub for providing a variety of information useful to guests. Samsung Hospitality Displays support various connectivity options, enabling guests to connect their personal devices and stream content to the large-screen TVs in their guest rooms. Hospitality Display supports Remote Jack Pack (RJP), which enables the hotel to install a central hub anywhere in the guest room for audio and video connections to Hospitality Display. RJP also detects and automatically converts source for optimal picture quality. SoftAP functionality is embedded in Hospitality Display, so when hotels provide inroom Internet access, the guest room is instantly transformed into a connected WiFi zone through the display. Connectivity options offered by Hospitality Display provide convenience for guests who want to maximize the use of their personal devices in hotel rooms. 5
With Samsung Display Solutions for Hospitality, management and deployment are easier and more efficient. Samsung Hospitality Displays offer hotels extensive customization to implement an information hub for a smarter in-room TV experience through Samsung s LYNK SINC and REACH or H.Browser solution using the embedded STB function. LYNK SINC and REACH solutions provide highly customizable interfaces, granting hotels the ability to offer guests customized information such as hotel history, facility information, special promotions, local attractions, and even interactive in-room services. H.Browser allows even more custom interface possibilities to meet hotel s preferences. This convenience provides guests helpful information without the need to call the receptionist or concierge. Hotels can provide even more personalized services to guests by customizing the in-room hub on Hospitality Display with conveniences such as automatically setting it to the guest's preferred language and lodging history. LFDs, serving as digital signage in lobbies and other areas of the hotels, can also greet guests in real time by displaying relevant information dependent on the day of the week or the time of the day. The optional Samsung Touch Overlay accessory can be added on top of LFDs to create user-friendly interactive kiosks with touch interface, providing a highly personalized hotel experience. LFDs used as digital signage and interactive touch kiosks can appeal greatly to guests who prefer indirect interaction to access the service they want at their convenience. Simplify management and deployment Additional management and administrative overhead associated with new technology hotel offerings are going to be significant. Samsung Display Solutions for Hospitality offer various means to enable this operational effort to be as optimal as possible. LYNK SINC and REACH solutions for guest room Hospitality Displays offer various user interfaces (UIs) that are highly customizable for unique implementation by hotels, with every aspect of the UI effectively managed from a central control room. Different offerings can be grouped for different room types or any arbitrary grouping according to the hotel s policies, without needing to visit each guest room to configure required settings. This grouping includes varying channel lineups, promotional information and other information hotels may want to relay to specific guests. With Hospitality Displays serving as STBs, occasional firmware updates can be done in one cue without a maintenance crew visiting each room. Even if Hospitality Displays are not connected to the hotel s infra, the same configurations from a functioning Hospitality Display can be cloned on a USB and applied to brand-new Hospitality Displays. This feature eliminates the tedious task of setting items one at a time for every new device. Central control and management is also available for LFDs linked to the same hotel network. Administrators can easily control and monitor the status of LFDs from a remote location. The remote control capability is not limited to simply turning the displays on and off. LFDs connected on the network can be remotely updated with newly deployed content, without having to visit each LFD. The device and content control can be easily scheduled for even more convenient management of LFDs. For example, LFDs may be scheduled to automatically turn off during late-night hours or play content promoting in-house restaurant menus during meal times. Figure 4. Hospitality Display offering more than mere TV Figure 5. Centralized control and management 6
Samsung Display Solutions for Hospitality offer a wide range of products to meet the various needs of the industry. Samsung Display Solutions for Hospitality From Hospitality Displays and LFDs to video walls and specialized displays, Samsung offers a broad spectrum of displays and software to meet various hospitality industry needs. Samsung offers hardware products in three categories: Premium, Mainstream, and Entrylevel. With Premium products, hospitality establishments can take advantage of state-of-the-art technologies and features. Samsung s Mainstream display products provide the most widely accepted technologies and features. Entry-level products provide simpler designs and essential features for increased economic value. Leveraging its technical expertise in manufacturing displays, Samsung also offers display management software, which is compatible with Samsung LFDs. Samsung MagicInfo series and DataLink display and content management software controls the LFDs. This software also enables central management of displays and content. In addition, the MagicInfo solution integrates displays using an internal database or mobile phones for effective management of video walls. Samsung LYNK SINC and REACH solutions and H.Browser solution enable Hospitality Displays to display customized hubs for guests in-room needs. Conclusion The hospitality industry is tasked with infusing technology into their luxury and convenience offerings to address the needs of today's guests. Tech-savvy travelers and technology cannot be separated from each other and targeting these guests requires accommodating the technology that comes with them. With displays specialized in addressing hospitality needs and Samsung integration-ready digital signage solutions, hospitality establishments can build easily managed, modernized luxury and convenience for their guests. When choosing Samsung Display Solutions for Hospitality, the hospitality industry can be assured that they are working with the global market leader in display technology and design, widely selected as a partner by major hotels and corporations. Samsung Display Solutions for Hospitality are the industry s first hardware solutions accompanied by software counterparts designed to reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) burden for hotel owners. Samsung provides integration-ready display solutions that provide engaging guest experiences to drive brand advocacy. Video wall Stand alone Specialized COAX infra IP infra Premium Higher-end products with state-of-the-art technologies and features UD Series PE Series DE Series LE Series NL Series UD Tiled Luxury HA/HB : LYNK REACH 2.0 HC : LYNK REACH 3.0 HA : LYNK SINC 2.0 HB : LYNK SINC 2.1 HC : LYNK SINC 3.0 HC89x HB890 Industry standard products with most accepted technologies and features Premium HC770 HC69x HB690 Mainstream UE Series UT Series ME Series MD Series Economic products with simpler design and essential features Advanced HC67x HB67x HA57x HA47x HA590 Entry ED Series Standard ~ HC470 HB460 Figure 6. Samsung LFD product map Figure 7. Samsung Hospitality Display product map 7
Legal and additional information About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of televisions, smartphones, personal computers, printers, cameras, home appliances, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 236,000 people across 79 countries with annual sales of US$187.8 billion. To discover more, please visit www.samsung.com. Copyright 2013 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Samsung, LYNK and MagicInfo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Specifications and designs are subject to change without notice. Nonmetric weights and measurements are approximate. All data were deemed correct at time of creation. Samsung is not liable for errors or omissions. All brand, product, service names and logos are trademarks and/ or registered trademarks of their respective owners and are hereby recognized and acknowledged. Samsung provides this white paper for information purposes only. All information included herein is subject to change without notice. Samsung Electronics is not responsible for any direct or indirect damages, arising from or related to use of this white paper. For more information For more information about Samsung Display Solutions for Hospitality, visit www.samsung.com/business. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. 416, Maetan 3-dong, Yeongtong-gu Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 443-772, Korea www.samsung.com 2013-12 8