Despite the increased entertainment options customers have through technology, television is still a primary entertainment technology during a hotel stay. The 2017 Travel Intentions Survey from The Hotel Association of Canada found that 53 per cent of travellers rated premium HD TV services as important to their hotel stay. Clearly guests see the importance of quality in-room TV and hold high expectations for the hotel they choose to provide a quality product.

The responsibility rests on the hotel --- the better your TV offering, the happier your guests will be.

At home, consumers likely have access to all kinds of TV entertainment options – from cable TV to Netflix, CraveTV and other on-demand services, so the hotel experience needs to compete with the myriad of choices available at home. A standard cable line-up will simply not meet growing guest demands. Hospitality solution providers like TELUS have advanced capabilities that meet the needs of hoteliers and are sure to delight guests. Here are 5 tips to help ensure you are getting the most out of your television entertainment.

  1. Look for a provider that gives you a wide range of premium HD channels to choose from and allows you to create your own custom guest experience. For example, with TELUS Optik TV for Business, hoteliers can choose from over 90 HD channels to design your own free-to-guest channel line-up. When guests turn on the TV, they will be greeted by your customizable menu which includes your hotel logo, imagery, and even videos. TELUS Optik TV for Business will also provide guests with local weather information, keep them up-to-date with RSS news feeds, promote hotel offerings and amenities, and can even generate additional revenue by including advertising from local partners.

  2. Give your guests as much choice as they would get at home – and more. With TELUS Optik TV for Business guests can add individual channels, theme packs, and multicultural channels over and above the standard channel lineup from the TV menu, increasing the ability to meet the unique viewing requirements of guests at no incremental cost to the hotel. Guest will love that they never have to miss their favourite shows while on the road.

  3. Make sure your provider has a great selection of on-demand movies, TV shows and more, and enables guests to purchase Pay Per View events. Ensure your provider can bill extras directly to guest credit cards to protect guest privacy and reduce complexities to your guest folios.

  4. Bolster your TV service with additional entertainment by providing a large variety of free music channels to cater to all guests' tastes and help them enjoy the comforts of home. TELUS Optik TV for Business includes Stingray Music, with over 70 channels of commercial-free music available in every guest room. Guests can check out what's playing next and view album art, right on their TV screens, at no additional charge.

  5. Look for a provider that can free up your staff from dealing with technical issues by offering free, anytime support directly to guests. For example, the TELUS 24/7 Help Desk is included at no additional cost to you or your guests. Guests can simply call a toll-free number if they ever need help with technical issues while watching Optik TV for Business.