iBAHN iTRAVELLER study shows UK business travellers see the TV in their hotel room as a portal for wide-ranging services

London - (25th October 2010) UK business travellers would like to use the TV in their hotel guestroom for a much wider range of services than simply watching programmes, according to a report published today by iBAHN, the worldwide leader in digital entertainment and Internet solutions for the hospitality and meeting industries.

More than half of UK iTRAVELLERS (52%) would like to browse or stream news, sports and weather updates on a computer instead of watching TV but, significantly, 48% would use a TV screen that toggles between computer and TV display.

iBAHN’s second annual iTRAVELLER study shows that “the device formerly known as the TV” offers hotels  a wealth of revenue and guest service opportunities for hoteliers by delivering more through the guest room screen.

UK iTRAVELLERs say that they would use the guest room screen in many ways. For example:

- Six in ten are likely to review guest charges through the TV (62%)
- Nearly half would make a hotel restaurant reservation via TV in the guestroom (46%)
- 39% would control guest room temperature via the screen

Two-thirds (66%) want a flat screen TV in their guest room, although more than half (52%) say they have had a bad experience with flat screens, including very poor picture quality, while roughly six in ten (57%) say the picture quality in the hotel guest room is worse than at home. This issue is usually caused by the hotel upgrading to digital TV screens, but not to a digital signal, which means the screen looks more appealing but projects a poor quality picture due to the analogue signal.

Currently, 39% have used the plug-in panel on the guest room wall or desk to connect their laptop to the TV and around two-thirds (65%) say the feature is easy to use. In the next two years, more iTRAVELLERS intend to download movies on a laptop and access the Internet while watching TV in the hotel room. The report shows that iTRAVELLERs are likely to use a computer facility freely provided by the hotel in the guest room, a finding that reinforces the case for cloud-based Internet services delivered via the flat screen.

More than half of iTRAVELLERS (55%) are likely to search websites and hotel information while in the guest room for detailed information about local restaurants, attractions and special local events. This knowledge provides hotel owners with the opportunity to use the guest room flat screen to build revenue streams through local advertising partnerships and promotions.

When iTRAVELLERs are home, more than half (55%) have downloaded music to their computer, and access entertainment (47%), news (42%) and videos from websites such as YouTube (42%). The majority (77%) have both a landline phone at home and a mobile phone, while one in seven (14%) now own a mobile handset only.

iBAHN’s second annual iTRAVELLER study was developed with YPartnership to better understand business travellers’ expectations and needs, and their use of technology while traveling. The study was designed to assist hotels and ownership/management groups in making critical decisions related to technology expenditures, and to assist in capturing revenues and improving guest satisfaction.  The data from the study also improves iBAHN’s ability to provide its hotel partners with data about the services that their guests require now and in the future.

Graeme Powell, MD iBAHN EMEA comments: “The iTRAVELLER study clearly shows that many business travellers in the UK are technically proficient and now need a wider range of services in the guest room, which match or exceed those they have at home. Their focus is on ways in which they can use a high-quality flat screen television in the guest room to purchase hotel services, access the Internet for information and communication, and find the types of entertainment they want. Through the iBAHN integrated digital platform, hotel owners can respond to this need and provide a range of useful, revenue-generating services that will increase guest satisfaction and brand loyalty.”