Luxury Hotelier - November 2007 - (Page 54)

54| Innovate No instructions necessary Peninsula Hotels uses high-tech entertainment offerings to make guests feel at home I Fraser Hickox n-room guest technology is rapidly evolving, and hoteliers must work hard to keep up with the pace of change. The Peninsula Hotels takes its technology seriously and operates a 20-person research and development lab in its Hong Kong offices to test and develop guest technologies—everything from IP-based television to in-room nail dryers. LUXURY HOTELIER spoke with Fraser Hickox, general manager of research and technology for Peninsula, about the latest entertainment offerings. Q Tell me about Peninsula’s technology research lab. A We start with a blank piece of paper and from there build the equipment that is often found in our rooms. It’s all about serving the guest. Some hotels choose to swamp the guest with technology, but that’s not our perspective. Guests shouldn’t feel challenged at all in any of our rooms. If they have to read the instruction book, then we’ve lost the battle. PENINSULA HOTELS Q What are some of the current trends in in-room entertainment technology at your properties? A We’re using Tangerine Global (www.tangerineglobal.com) as well as IP-delivered video on demand. Tangerine Global provides a variety of high-definition programming. We’re also offering Internet radio in guestrooms so guests can listen to radio from their hometown. If you were to stay in our hotel, we would automatically set the radio to a New York station, for example, and it would be playing when you walked in the door. Q How are you able to manage the technology in the rooms to such a degree? A Each one of our rooms has its own “brain,” a CPU that performs a number of tasks. It checks the temperature, Peninsula’s room controller allows guests to control entertainment, environmental and other settings. Luxury Hotelier | October 2007 | www.LuxuryHotelier.com http://www.tangerineglobal.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Luxury Hotelier - November 2007

Luxury Hotelier - November 2007 Contents Editor's Letter Publisher's Letter Inform: News and Notes Network: People Personalities: Traditional Innovator Insight: Smith Travel Research / The Bench Insight: Ypartnership Properties: A Front-Row Seat to Moscow Properties: Northern Star Inspire: Outdoor Showers Deliver: Wellness and Fitness Protocols: The Real Deal Insight: Cornell University Innovate: In-Room Technology Development: Global Project Pipeline Indulge: Coffee and Tea Insight: Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne Connect: Regional Marketing Update: IH/M&RS Luxury Product Collection Dossier: Davide Bertilaccio of The Rocco Forte Collection’s Le Richemond

Luxury Hotelier - November 2007

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