LG Electronics, Marriott Target Smart Hotel Platform Beyond Hotel TVs

LG Electronics and Marriott International have joined forces to build the next generation of smart hotels beyond hotel TVs.

The two companies announced a strategic partnership on the 2nd and also recently signed an MOU aimed at upgrading their guest-room entertainment and technology platform.

Based on this, the two companies plan to jointly develop a smart hotel platform that integrates hotel TVs with cloud-based guest-room content and services.

The platform will consist of integrated cloud-based room management, content, and services, with the cooperation focused on turning hotel TVs into smart media hubs.

The smart media hub functions include linking guest services and connecting in-room devices, while Marriott is pushing to advance its technology platform to deliver customized content and services based on hotel TVs.

LG Electronics and Marriott have accumulated experience in cooperation on supplying hotel TVs, and through this collaboration they will expand into the hotel technology platform space. The two companies will leverage their respective strengths in developing the new platform.

In the development of the new platform, Marriott will define the service direction based on customer experience (UX), hotel operations expertise, and its global technology infrastructure. LG Electronics will be responsible for cloud platform development, integrated management of in-room devices, and operational technology support.

The new platform will first be deployed at 40 Marriott hotels in the United States and Canada. It is then expected to be gradually expanded across Marriott's global hotel brands.

The platform is focused on improving hotel operating efficiency. Hotel operators will be able to use cloud-based management tools to manage the status of individual room TVs, in-room devices at the hotel level, and in-room devices across the global hotel portfolio, and it will also provide integrated monitoring of in-room device status.

Traditional hotel guest-room entertainment systems required separate server and set-top box setups and management for each hotel. As a result, each hotel had to operate dedicated facilities for guest-room entertainment.

Using a cloud-based platform makes it possible to remotely manage in-room devices in an integrated way. Through this platform, content and applications can be updated remotely, software and content updates can be handled centrally, and device status can be checked centrally.

The expected benefits of this structural shift are improved hotel operating efficiency and reduced maintenance burdens. In addition, an enhanced guest experience is also expected.

At hotels using the platform, guests will be able to watch live broadcasts on LG hotel TVs in their rooms and use OTT content on LG hotel TVs in their rooms. Going forward, the plan is to expand the service range to include control of room functions such as temperature and lighting through the TV.

LG Electronics' strategy is to use this collaboration as an opportunity to expand its business beyond a hotel TV supplier into the hotel digital infrastructure market. LG Electronics is planning to provide integrated solutions covering hotel TVs, guest-room entertainment, device management, and smart services, while also strengthening its position in the global hotel market.

Min Dong-seon, head of the ID business division under LG Electronics' MS Business Division, said the company plans to continue introducing innovative total solutions for future smart hotels by combining cloud technology and the webOS platform to differentiate the competitiveness of its hotel TV products.

Source: TECHWORLD · Park Gyu-chan
Original: https://www.epnc.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=406385

References

• https://www.epnc.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=406385