By Nadav Avni, Chief Marketing Officer at Radix Technologies

The hospitality industry is once again bracing for tough times, now at the hands of an anticipated recession. Hotels and resorts are exploring cost-cutting measures to mitigate potential losses due to high inflation, such as running a leaner staff, eliminating wasteful practices, and optimizing operations. The latter includes using device management software to keep amenities such as Android TV-powered displays running efficiently.

Despite the gloomy economic news and projected declines in guests, there are several opportunities for hotels and resorts to make a profit.

Android TV and Device Management Software Help Modernize the Hotel Experience

Hospitality firms can boost revenue during a down market by improving operational efficiencies, such as revisiting hotel equipment and increasing its performance. For example, many hotels have ditched analog televisions in favor of smart devices powered by Android TV that let guests do more than just watch local shows or order pay-per-view.

With a recession looming, hotels can get more from their smart TV investments. Reliable device management software that maintains, manages, and secures the company’s smart devices is essential to making this work.

How Can Android TV Devices Help Improve the Hotel Experience?

A hotel’s fleet of smart TVs and other devices can provide additional services to guests at all hours and in the comfort of their own rooms. Benefits include:

Self-Service Kiosks

Smart kiosks help reduce registration waiting time by accommodating guests via self-service registration or check-out. In many cases, these automated services can provide faster turnaround times.

In-Room Services

When hotels replace an analog TV with a smart device, the hotel room TV evolves from an entertainment device into a digital gateway to additional services. It becomes a cornerstone of the hotel experience. Guests can use the devices to browse hotel directory information, explore room service menus, and connect to services. They can also log into their favorite streaming services to catch up on their favorite shows.

In addition, smart devices that can operate fixtures such as room access, lighting, heat, and water are increasing in popularity. With smart connectivity, guests can open their rooms with their smartphones and control their room’s temperature and lighting with voice commands or through a hotel app.

Digital Billboards

Even non-hotel rooms benefit from the modern smart TV; hotel lobbies, dining areas, amenities, and business centers now have digital billboards. Event areas can use these devices to continuously display event information, schedules, and special promotions. Restaurants can flash their menus and daily specials.

How Can Android TV Devices Cut Operational Expenses?

Deploying Android TV devices can help management defray costs associated with running the hotel’s day-to-day operations. Specifically, utilizing smart devices can lower expenses in numerous areas:

Reduced Staffing

By working as self-service kiosks, information directories, and digital billboards, Android TV devices give hotel guests additional services with no supplementary staff. For example, self-service kiosks let the front lobby provide 24/7 services without night-shift employees. Putting information directories in hotel rooms and digital billboards around the hotel reduces or eliminates the need for information counters and concierges.

Faster, More Efficient Services

In many cases, using a smart TV for self-service directory services, housekeeping, and room service orders can produce faster results, just as self-service kiosks can expedite check-in or check-out. Meanwhile, automated in-room services let guests adjust room settings without calling maintenance. If nothing else, these automated stations reduce queues and result in fewer harried and impatient guests.

Personalized Streaming at No Cost to the Hotel

Many guests prefer to log into their streaming service accounts using the hotel’s Android TV device to access their viewing history or curated playlists and resume shows where they left off. This is an additional benefit to hotel owners, who no longer need bulk streaming subscriptions for their hotels.

How Can Mobile Device Management Software Help?

Mobile device management (MDM) software manages the administration of smart devices in the network. For hotels, MDM software ensures all smart TVs, kiosks, digital billboards, and other devices receive the necessary maintenance and updates to keep them running smoothly.

A typical hotel has an average of 313 rooms, each with a smart TV connected to the hotel network. Add a few dozen digital billboards and touchscreen kiosks, and IT employees can quickly become overwhelmed when critical device updates need to be made. MDM software provides a central administration hub for all these devices so that administrators can apply updates or patches to all devices simultaneously and remotely.

Finally, MDM software can collect usage data and gather insights so hotels can better understand what customers want. This information is valuable when determining what services and amenities the hotel should offer guests in upcoming seasons.

Mobile Device Management Software Safeguards Data and Account Security

In addition, MDM software can safeguard hotel guests’ devices and accounts when connected to the hotel network. It provides guests with secure, end-to-end encryption when they connect to the network and use their smartphones to operate hotel doors and amenities. Admins can shut down access to guests who have already checked out or have unpaid bills.

More importantly, MDM software helps guests keep their data private even as they share information over the hotel network. The application adheres to established protocols such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which ensure all user data remains secure throughout transactions. Administrators can also use MDM software to wipe guest accounts still logged into the hotel room smart TV in case they forget to log out when departing.

Device Management Software Helps Improve the Bottom Line for Hotels Using Android TV

Even if a challenging business environment leads to fewer guests, hotels can still improve the experience for their clients by offering superior services. Android TV units maintained by reliable device management software can provide user-driven services and amenities without increasing operational costs. A more efficient operation leads to healthier profits, which can be a boon during lean times.