Hospitality TV
Whether at home, in a hotel or in a retirement facility - Switzerland loves television. According to the Federal Statistical Office, every Swiss person watches an average of 104 minutes of TV a day, with people over 60 watching twice as long.
In order to meet this need, retirement and nursing homes as well as hotels offer their customers TV solutions - often causing headaches due to high maintenance costs, security and operating problems. But how can hotel and care home managers overcome these challenges?
To answer this question, it is important to understand the difference between the two basic types of TV solutions: Residential TV and Hospitality TV.
Residential TV: designed for private households
The user interfaces and features of residential TV solutions are designed for private households: The content and use are designed for "average people", i.e. people between the ages of 14 and 49. Image, audio and account settings (such as streaming services) can be configured directly via the remote control on the respective device. Security features are generally not included.
Advantages:
- Due to the competitive situation between different providers, offers are frequently adapted, enhanced and renewed. Accordingly, residential TV solutions provide a large selection of commercial offerings.
- As there are no security features or further configuration options, residential TV solutions are relatively easy to use for the "average person".
Disadvantages:
- Residential TV solutions are designed for users between the ages of 14 and 49. For target groups outside of this range, a certain affinity for technology and willingness to learn are necessary to be able to use residential TV solutions at all.
- The landing page when starting up the device changes dynamically depending on the provider and is designed to generate additional sales.
- In the event of technical problems, contacting the customer service of the device and/or the residential TV solution often requires a lot of time, patience and technical understanding.
- As logins are not managedcentrally, security risks can arise when several people use a residential TV solution.
The user interfaces and features of residential TV solutions are designed for private households.
Hospitality TV: ideal for institutions
Hospitality TV, on the other hand, goes one step further and is specifically designed to meet the requirements of institutions - in terms of functionality, handling and maintenance. This type of TV solution is designed for continuous operation and can be adapted to the needs of specific target groups, e.g. daily changing hotel guests or elderly people in care homes.
Advantages:
- Hospitality TV solutions enable hotels or care homes to easily broadcast their own content on information channels, e.g. to draw attention to events, menus or services - this facilitates the flow of information and relieves the burden on staff.
- Events can also be easily streamed live to the TV sets of guests or residents, whether it's a singing lesson or feeding the pets. Hospitality TV thus enables all users to participate in everyday life.
- Unlike residential TV, hospitality TV solutions also allow users to create their own landing pages, whereby contact with reception, room service or nursing, for example, is made directly from the device. This turns a room into a "smart room" that enables direct interaction and promotes autonomy.
- All components are optimized to the requirements of the target group (e.g. through easy-to-understand and robust remote controls), which ensures intuitive and independent handling.
- Thanks to extended customization options, hospitality TV solutions can also take room-specific needs into account. For example, audio explanations and subtitles can be added for residents with disabilities in just a few clicks.
- Unlike residential TV, hospitality TV solutions make it possible to restrict certain functions, such as adding or removing channels or changing device settings. This prevents users from changing the configuration of the TV or displaying unwanted content.
- Hospitality TV solutions can be easily managed and maintained centrally, ensuring maximum security and minimizing downtime. For example, the log-out from certain applications can be linked to check-out.
Disadvantage:
- The only disadvantage of hospitality TV solutions is the higher initial acquisition costs. However, these are compensated many times over by lower operating costs, longer life-cycle of components and cost savings.
Conclusion
Residential TV solutions offer sufficient functionality and convenience for private use. Hotels and care homes, on the other hand, are better off opting for professional hospitality TV solutions, as their greater flexibility, more cost-effective maintenance and extended functions create significant added value compared to conventional residential TV solutions.
