As part of its deepening strategic partnership with Google across its evolving portfolio of Android-powered solutions, including digital signage, interactive displays and hospitality and business TVs, today’s important announcement reinforces Philips MediaSuite’s position as the world’s first and only current dedicated hospitality TV to feature a secure Chromecast built-in solution, designed specifically for the hotel room experience.
PPDS’ commitment to Chromecast built-in has been welcomed by hoteliers and hospitality integrators globally following Google’s announcement, made on 22 September, that it will discontinue its third generation external Chromecast – a unit that is functionally equivalent to the Chromecast built-in to Philips MediaSuite TVs.
Controlling your experience
An integral part of PPDS’ strategy in putting guests in control of their in-room entertainment experience, while bringing extensive back-end features, capabilities (including personalisation) and cost efficiencies to hoteliers, the inclusion of Chromecast built-in on Philips MediaSuite TVs has been a key differentiator in the market, quickly positioning it as the TV of choice for many of the world’s leading hotel groups. Global sales of Philips MediaSuite are set to exceed 300,000 by the end of this year, with the series now a firmly established market leader in a growing number of European countries, and with North American sales also growing exponentially since the series become available last year.
Your TV, your content
Hailed by many as ‘game changer’ for hospitality at launch in 2019, the inclusion of Chromecast built-in on all Philips MediaSuite TVs remains the complete integrated entertainment and interactive service proposition, allowing guests to seamlessly replicate – and even enhance – the way they consume their content at home, inside their hotel room.
At the touch of a button, guests can wirelessly cast movies, TV shows, music, photos, and even presentations, stored or accessible via their own personal smart device (mobile, laptop, tablet), directly to the TV, in up to 4K resolution. There are now over 10,000+ apps to choose from, including Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix, Spotify and YouTube, with new services able to be added remotely as and when they become available. This ensures Philips MediaSuite TVs are set to keep pace with guest demands into the future.
Safe and secure streaming
With Philips MediaSuite TVs designed for professional use, the Chromecast built-in solution also benefits from professional grade security, with connections to the device severed, and all data, such as account login information, immediately cleared and logged out upon checkout.
Jeroen Verhaeghe, Global Business Development Director for Hospitality at PPDS, and the innovator behind Philips MediaSuite, commented: “Philips MediaSuite TVs have been designed exclusively around the in-room hotel room experience, understanding and providing the solutions required and craved after by both the hotel and its guests. Our goal is to support hoteliers in ensuring all expectations are achieved or surpassed, and Chromecast plays an important role in this being achieved.
“In our recent PPDS Guest Behaviour Survey, we found that 71 per cent of hotel guests turn on the TV in their hotel room. If the features and functionality on that TV don’t mirror or exceed those achieved at home, then the experience is immediately compromised. Philips MediaSuite raised the bar and changed the perception of hotel TVs, the services they can provide, and how they can be used to enhance the overall guest experience. With the current evolution of Chromecast dongles not a fit for use within the hospitality industry, we are honoured that Philips MediaSuite is now the preferred choice for hotels and businesses looking to offer Chromecast built-in to enhance their guests’ experiences.”
Jan van Hecke, Global Product Manager Professional TV at PPDS added: “Rather than an add-on service, we literally built Chromecast into our TVs – a first for any professional TV in this space, providing a unique and seamlessly accessible solution to meet guests’ entertainment needs. This is, of course, backed with a level of security that is not easily achievable with external dongles, for added peace of mind. Chromecast built-in remains an integral part of our overall hospitality proposition, to bring ever-evolving, home-away-from-home experiences into hotel rooms and we’re delighted to confirm our long-term commitment to this technology with Google.”
