No ROI, increased monthly cost, ongoing capital expense, do you really need HD? Guestrooms are being designed to make a guest feel at home so with this comes HDTV. HD certainly fits into the equation of providing an at home experience since guests still focus in on live news, sports, and local channels as viewing priorities. However, the argument can be made that HD is not a necessity but instead a wow factor in the room. Of the seven industry professionals we asked, all seven stated independently that the demand for HD comes almost entirely from the brand or the hotel management, not from the guests…directly.
We could not find any report that listed HD as one of the top drivers for making a hotel purchasing decision. In a market where our only TV purchasing option is a beautiful flat screen television we may find that HD doesn’t sell rooms, it may be one of many amenities that retains rooms through user experience.
The 2011 hotel room is about personalization. The guestroom, from a technology standpoint, is evolving into simply giving the guest the ability to use their personal devices seamlessly. All the guest needs is power and connectivity…and a pretty TV (monitor). The media technology has pushed us to this point and we no longer have an option. We need the HD signal to match the TV in the room and HD is now a brand requirement. Like the exercise room of the 1990s, it’s just a part of doing business.