【中英】酒店如何跟上客人无止境的设备播放需求？

本文译自美国HOTELS杂志。如今客人都在带着自己的娱乐设备系统到酒店客房。不管是智能手机还是平板，都可以用来阅读新闻，发布社交媒体，观看他们最爱的电视节目和电影。他们所需要的就是高速上网。他们甚至不需要电视，除非酒店提供一个可以播放他们自己设备内容的电视。

Guests are bringing their own personal entertainment systems into their hotel rooms these days. Whether it be on a smart phone or a tablet, they’re reading the news, posting on social media and watching their favorite TV shows and movies. All they need is high-speed Internet. They don’t even need a TV – unless the hotel offers them a way to stream their content through the one in the room.

万豪酒店在2015年率先宣布和流媒体服务商Netflix建立合作伙伴关系，方便客人通过客房电视登录自己的Netflix账户。当客人离店的时候，客人登录信息自动从系统中删除。随后其他流媒体服务包括ENSEO，APPLE TV，HULU等少数供应商也出现在酒店。不过现在，感谢日益增加的精通科技的客人，酒店关注点已经从通过电视登录流媒体账户，到让客人通过自己手机APP投放到电视观看。

Marriott Hotels first announced apartnership with streaming service Netflix in 2015 that allows guests to sign into their Netflix account through the in-room TV. When the guest checks out,their log-in information is automatically cleared from the system. Since then,other streaming services have popped up in hotels, powered by a handful of different providers including Enseo, AppleTV and Hulu. But now, thanks to increasingly tech-savvy guess, hotels have shifted the focus from streaming accounts on the TV to enabling guests to stream to the TV directly from apps ontheir mobile devices.

内华达大学拉斯维加斯 Hospitality Lab主任 Robert Rippee 认为，酒店客人正在发生改变，婴儿潮一代已经长大，现在千禧年一代是人数最多的一代。随着客人期望的转变，客房娱乐与客人移动设备关联更紧密，而不是客房提供的娱乐内容。

“ The hotel customer is changing. Baby boomers are aging, there’s Gen X in the middle, and now millennials are the largest generation,” said Robert Rippee, director of the University of Nevada,Las Vegas’ Hospitality Lab. “ With that shift comes an expectation that entertainment is more closely aligned to the guest’s mobile device than the entertainment that’s in the room.”

酒店管理资产公司HotelAVE, 创始人Michelle Russo表示，酒店客人最基本的期望就是像住在家里一样。但是他们也期待着能够获得比在家里更好的体验。这就是为什么酒店正在迅速推广其他技术，比如无房卡入住，声控房间设备，信息互动，甚至酒店机器人等。

Added Michelle Russo, CEO and founder of Hotel AVE, a hospitality asset management  firm, “ Hotels customers expect, at aminimum, what they have at home. But they are also looking for experiences thatare better than what they at home.” That’s why hotels are rapidly rolling out other technologies like keyless entry, voice-activated rooms, texting and even robots.

客人期望酒店就是自己的家外之家，能很方便的使用相似的技术包括电视，音响，充电器，无线WIFI上网等。加州欧文Hotel Irvine 酒店总经理Eroen Quint说，他们酒店可以让客人入住酒店后将自己设备流媒体投放到电视上，还可以发送服务请求信息。

“ Guests expect hotels to be extensions oftheir own homes and to have similar technology at their finger tips… TVs, sound systems, adapters, Wi-Fi speed, etc.,” said Jeroen Quint, general manager at Hotel Irvine in Irvine, California, which allows guests to stream content from their devices to the TV as well as text the hotel for requests during their stay.

当谈论到最前沿的客房娱乐需求，HotelAVE的副总Patrick McMonigle表达更直接，“ 流媒体最终将被每个人所期待。如果你不能提供这个服务，只能想法去追赶！” 提供客人所期望的酒店科技新功能通常需要很大一笔基础设施投资，特别对老酒店 。

When it comes to the demand for cutting edge in-room entertainment, Russo’s colleague, Patrick McMonigle, vice president of HotelAVE, put it more simply: “ Streaming is eventually going to be expected by everyone. If you don’t have it, you’ll be trying to catch up.”

McMonigle解释，“ 老酒店使用老旧的布线系统无法处理流媒体播放需要的带宽。这对已经营业的酒店是个很大的挑战。酒店不仅仅需要购买多媒体设备，还需要投资基础设施 ”。

Providing what guests want from their hotel’s technology offerings usually requires a hefty investment in infrastructure, particularly for older properties. “ Old hotels have old cabling systems that can’t handle the band width needed for streaming,” McMonigle said. “ That’s the big challenge for existing hotels. Not only do you have to pay for all the streaming equipment, you have to invest in the infrastructure.”

另外一个问题是要有足够的带宽来满足处理客人网络互动需求。

Another concern is having enough bandwidth to handle guests’ Internet activities.

万豪旗下ALOFT酒店正在试点让客人将手机视频投放的服务，其全球品牌经理 Eric Marlo 承认，流媒体播放服务受到网络带宽的制约。ALOFT酒店自己有个很高的行业标准带宽达到70MB, Marlo说很快将提升到100MB。

Eric Marlo, global brand manager for Marriott International's Aloft Hotels, which is piloting a service that allows guests to stream from their phones, admitted that streaming services are a strain on band width. Aloft Hotels has a higher industry standard for bandwidth at 70MB, and Marlo said that will soon be boosted up to 100 MB.

我们一定程度上已经进入这个领域，知道更多的带宽将是必需的，所以我们决定升级网络接入带宽，做到应用新技术的酒店领先品牌。这些包括 RoomCast（ALOFT新推出的流媒体服务）和声控酒店客房，客人在多个设备上登录，还将有更多的房间应用。至少现在就是领先的，但是再过10年就不好说了。

“ We kind of went into this ( streaming ) space knowing that more bandwidth would be necessary, so we decided to upgrade our bandwidth now and in doing that, future-proof the brand for newer technologies, ” Marlo said. “ Even with Room Cast  ” –that’s Aloft’s new streaming service – “and voice-activated hotel rooms and guests signing on with multiple devices, we still have room for more. For now, that is. In 10 years, maybe not.”

还有一个减轻带宽制约的选择，就是安装光纤到房间，可以较低的成本实现更高的带宽，占用空间小。这对于新建酒店或者酒店大规模改造是一个最佳方案。 

One option to ease the strain on bandwidth is to install a fiber-to-room infrastructure that delivers higher bandwidth at lower costs and takes up less physical space. This would work best for a new construction or a major hotel renovation.

Marlo表示，这会减少大量技术问题，特别是基础设施，将会有很广阔的市场前景。我们有大量的业主正在准备实施，但是这在酒店业还是非常新的方案。ALOFT将继续监控酒店带宽流量，根据需要再增加。

“ It’s very promising in reducing a lot of technical issues, especially regarding infrastructure,” Marlo said. “ We have a number of owners looking to implement it, but it’s still very new in the hotel world. ” Until then, Marlo said Aloft will continue to monitor the amount of bandwidth in their hotels and increase it as needed.

看起来对技术基础设施和新产品投资是每个酒店不得不做的事情，即使投资回报是个很大的未知数。 McMonigle 表示，投资回报很难去进行测算，这很微妙，这更关系到满足你客人需求的能力。

Investing in technology infrastructure and new products seems to be something every hotel has to do, even if the return isa big unknown .“ The return is hard to measure,” HotelAVE’s McMonigle said. “ It’s more subtle. It’s more about the ability to satisfy your customers.”

Hotel Irvine酒店总经理Quint说，酒店愿意探索所有将提升客人体验的努力。提供客人想要的快速服务，按照客人的期望去做，提高客人忠诚度和再次入住，这才是终极目的。

Quint, the general manager at Hotel Irvine,said the hotel is willing to explore whatever will improve the guest experience. “ Providing our guests with the speedy service they want, and howthey want it, drives loyalty and repeat stays, which is where the true gainis,” he said.

万豪酒店集团财务执行副总Mike Dearing表示，万豪还没有提供手机流媒体服务，但是他们正在努力实现。原因很简单，他们知道这是他们的目标客户所想要的服务。

Marriott doesn’t have mobile streaming yet,but it’s something they are “ working hard ” to offer, said Mike Dearing,executive vice president of finance for Marriott Hotels, simply because they know it’s what their target guests want.

Dearing介绍，我们已经在墙上安装了高清电视，我们正在尝试让客人使用自己设备的内容成为可能。网速越快，我们越容易适应带宽需要。平衡经济和需求是很困难的。不过越来越多的业主知道这对于如今客人的重要性，打算朝这个方向行动。

“ We’ve got this great HDTV on the wall, and we’re trying to make possible for guests to use their own content, ” Dearing said. “ The faster the Internet can be, the more we can accommodate the bandwidth. It can be difficult to balance the economics with demands. But more and more owners are willing to move in that direction knowing how critical it is for today’s guest.”

Trust Hospitality 董事长兼CEORichard Millard 认为酒店业主不得不审时度势做出长远的决策。有些人行动非常迅速。你不想成为试验品，但是你也不想落伍，只能选其一。

Richard Millard, chairman and CEO of Trust Hospitality, said hotel owners have to make extremely calculated long-term decisions. “ Some of this stuff moves so rapidly. You don’t want to be a guineapig, but you don’t want to be left behind, either.”

UNLV’s Rippee 强调，有个事情是确凿无疑的，机顶盒时代的日子已经屈指可数了。未来的客房将基于客人自带设备作为主要控制机制的集成系统。

One thing is certain: The set-top box’s days are numbered. “ The guest room of the future will be based on integration of the guest’s personal device as the primary controls mechanism,” UNLV’s Rippee said.

Millard 则认为，付费电影也将灭亡，不会再有机会。事实上HotelAVE 说，一些酒店正在等着付费点播合同到期，然后他们可以更新使用更先进的流媒体方案。Marlo 介绍Aloft酒店现在还有付费电影系统，我们一直在考虑该怎么处理，如果今后5年没有人使用这个视频点播，这将是一项额外支出，那么我们为什么还要使用这个系统？

“ The pay-for movies are gone, never to return,” Millard added. Indeed, HotelAVE said some hotels are waiting for their pay-per-view contracts to expire so they can upgrade to a more modern streaming solution. Marlo said Aloft Hotels still has a pay-per-view system in their hotels, for now. “ We’re always looking at what’s going on and trying to stay five to 10 steps ahead of that ,” he said. “ If nobody is using pay-per-view in five years and it’s an extra cost, then why would we have it ? ”

不过有一点需要知道，今天酒店投资的所有流媒体系统是否几年后也可能被淘汰。

Yet one has to wonder whether all the streaming technologies hotels are investing in today could become obsolete in a few years.

HotelAVE 资深副总 David Israel 建议酒店可以与供应商签个短期合同，选择服务前支付少部分或者分期摊销。当你这么计划的时候，这个想法和概念都不过时，但是这么做的时候已经落后了。因为要6个月时间开展，再等6个月后才能看到效果。

David Israel, senior vice president of HotelAVE, recommended that hotels sign shorter time contracts with vendors,opting to pay a little bit more up front for the services or have it amortized over a shorter period of time. “ The idea and concept is not obsolete when you’re planning it but the moment you put in you’re already behind. Because it takes six months to do it and then another six months to get it in."

Rippee 则表示，酒店业主和开发商应该密切关注科技创新趋势，现在技术变革比以往更快。但是他们不能等到客户提出需求的时候才开始考虑如何来实现这个技术。

Rippee said hotel owners and developers should pay closer attention to trends in innovation, which are moving faster than before. “ They can’t afford to wait until customer is demanding ( technology ) to start thinking about how to employ it,” he said.

进行控制 

Take control.

客人想控制房间的应用环境。作为酒店行业创新领导者，挑战极限，尽可能   给客人带来更多的选择是我们的职责。— Eric Marlo, global brandleader, Aloft Hotels.

 “ Guests want to take control of their room environment. It’s our job as leaders of innovation in hospitality to push the envelope and bring as many options to our guests as we can.” — Eric Marlo, global brand leader, Aloft Hotels.

无需APP

No apps.

客人厌倦了使用apps. 客人不希望每次入住酒店都要在手机上安装一个新apps应用。 — Richard Millard, chairmanand CEO, Trust Hospitality.

 “ People are sick of apps.They don’t want to put a new app on their phone every time they stay somewhere.”— Richard Millard, chairman and CEO, Trust Hospitality.

方便       

Convenience.

客人希望物有所值使用方便。他们还希望使用简单易用，操作方便的科技。— Jeroen Quint, general manager, Hotel Irvine.

 “ Guests want convenience at a good value. They also want quick and easy to understand and operate technology.” — Jeroen Quint, general manager, Hotel Irvine.

定制化  

Customization.

新一代希望可定制化产品和服务，当他们需要的时候可以给他们更个性化的体验。— Michelle Russo, founder and CEO of HotelAVE.

 “ Gen X and Gen Y want customization...to have their own personal experiences when they want them.” —Michelle Russo, founder and CEO of HotelAVE.

选择

Choice. 

我们的指导理念就是给客人选择。有些客人喜欢在入住的时候与前台互动，和别人交流。当然也有客人愿意在Marriott app上完成酒店入住的所有流程。我们希望帮助客人按照自己的意愿去做。— Mike Dearing, executive vice president of finance, Marriott Hotels.

“ The guiding philosophy for us is to give people the option. There are still folks who like to interact when they check in and have human contact, then there are people who love to do it allthrough the Marriott app. We want to make it easy for people to do things their way.” — Mike Dearing, executive vice president of finance, Marriott Hotels.