Golden Tulip Hotel de' Medici in Brugge, Belgium, has selected Swisscom to bring the new generation of guest room entertainment to its clients. Swisscom IPTV, which supports full-HD (High Definition) images, revolutionizes guest room entertainment in that it provides unmatched interactivity and content choice for the guest and complete customization for the hotel. Swisscom IPTV went live at De' Medici on April 1; it has since outperformed the hotel's expectations in terms of usage, guest acclaim and movie sales.

Hotel de' Medici, with 101 guest rooms and 6 meeting rooms, is one of Brugge's most distinctive hotels, offering guests a well-blended mix of local charm and highest international service standards. The hotel attracts business travellers and leisure guests alike, thanks to its holistic service concept that emphasizes individual well-being as much as cutting-edge technology. The introduction of Swisscom IPTV forms part of the hotel's continuous strive for service differentiation.

Swisscom IPTV solution enables hoteliers to provide guests with a compelling, new experience based on HD image quality, a contextualised user interface and a new content concept. Hoteliers choose their content offering from hundreds of live channels available via satellite, cable and DTT and an extended VoD library that includes blockbusters in up to 6 languages, adult movies and special interest programs. The user interface comes with groundbreaking new features such as the Virtual DVD Player and the "TV Mosaic", arranging all available programs in an intelligent, mosaic-style grid. Swisscom IPTV can be conveniently implemented on existing network technology, be it CAT 5, 6 or 7, Coax or VDSL. Through its HD Set-top box it works with any consumer TV, creating a substantial cost saving for the hotelier while supporting all required hotel TV features.

"Swisscom presented the only convincing alternative to our legacy SD (standard definition) VoD provider. Swisscom IPTV is a beautiful product that has been implemented straightforwardly, and without any obligation for us to invest in a general network upgrade", explains Patrick Jiang, General Manager at Hotel de' Medici. "Still, the solution is so much more exciting than what we previously had. And it's completely future-proof with a view to digital blockbusters becoming available in full-HD. Many guests have already commented on the stunning clarity of the HD-TV image and the dynamic interface. There's definitely a Wow factor stimulating guests to watch more and stay in their rooms. I am convinced that this service will generate substantial revenues for our hotel."

From a commercial point of view, Swisscom IPTV offers a modular product design: Hoteliers can choose between a light version, allowing them to deliver live-TV in full HD to their guests with minimum investment, and a fully integrated system, with specific value offerings and a customized service set-up. Hotel de' Medici has opted for a feature-rich version of Swisscom IPTV with customized bundles, dynamic program line-ups and promotional hotel content, geared to stimulate guest demand for the hotel's unique services.

Leo Brand, CEO of Swisscom Hospitality Services comments: "Swisscom IPTV vindicates hoteliers' investment in high resolution (HD) TV sets. At the same time, it prepares the hotelier for another inevitable innovation, namely the convergence of networks and services within his property. Our IPTV infrastructure is a lasting asset that allows hotels to integrate other applications such as room automation, security or other IP-based services." He adds: "Delivering IPTV to more than 300'000 households in Europe and being the only telecom operator focused on hospitality, with a footprint of more than 200'000 guest rooms, Swisscom is ideally positioned to assist hoteliers renovating their network and guest room technology."