LODGING caught up with Larry Steelman, vice president of new business ventures at Cox Business, to discuss integrations, voice technology, and more in the hospitality and entertainment space.
What is the newest thing you’re working on in the hospitality space?
One that we are excited about is advertising to hotel guests through immersive digital signage via our current infrastructure and services that we already provide to property. One great example are the two 40-foot LED screens in the main hallway at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The dynamic screens both provide relevant information to attendees, while also generating a new revenue stream for the Convention Center. Guests want timely and relevant messaging and hotel clients win as they can earn incremental revenue from advertisers.
Are you working with other companies to integrate your solutions in hotels, and what do those collaborations look like?
We’re a big proponent of working with partners to find technology solutions to help meet joint clients’ needs. A recent hospitality technology study found that many hotels see ‘ integration as one of their main concerns when considering a new technology service or provider. We take pride in partnering with companies like Cisco, Ruckus, Aruba, and a host of others to develop solutions for our clients.
Do you have any integrations for voice?
Currently, we offer voice integration to our clients, specifically Amazon Alexa. Guests can ask Alexa to change channels, search for content or keywords. This integration can also be extended beyond the in-room television to room control functions, such as the room lights or temperature settings. We utilize a platform that can add on more layers of integration as new technologies and guest uses become available.
How do you ensure critical systems like WiFi and networks are supported for both hotel guests and staff?
We provide our clients with data redundancy when possible and monitor our client’s networks with the latest technology tools or at times with our own staff onsite. We also work with some of the most respected wireless and mobility partners in the world, such as Cisco. These two critical items give confidence to our clients that their services rest on a network that is reliable, stable and scalable.
