The Grove Hotel tunes 225 custom interactive TVs to deliver 5-star entertainment.
A powerful range of interactive televisions with advanced streaming capabilities and compatibility with services like Netflix has been selected and installed in the luxury rooms of the prestigious five-star hotel, The Grove, in the United Kingdom.
A short distance from central London and synonymous with the rich and famous – with Tom Cruise, the Beckhams, Hugh Grant, and Kylie Minogue among some of the known guests in recent years – the existing TV setup at The Grove Hotel had become outdated, failing to meet modern viewing preferences and not meeting guests’ expectations.
As part of an extensive upgrade and renovation project, The Grove Hotel – owned by the hospitality group Ralph Trustees Ltd – sought a TV solution that would provide top-class picture quality along with integrated streaming capabilities, streaming apps, and games, as well as the ability to deliver personalized content in each room, allowing guests to control their own viewing experiences.
After extensive global research, The Grove Hotel partnered with the audiovisual solutions provider, identifying their unique range of interactive TVs with advanced streaming capabilities and streaming service compatibility as the only hospitality-dedicated solution on the global market capable of meeting its high demands and stringent standards.
Home comforts
Designed to provide a seamless transition between home and hotel room, 189 interactive TVs – adopted by many of the world's leading hotel chains – were successfully installed in guest rooms in the contemporary West Wing of The Grove Hotel.
Following overwhelmingly positive feedback from guests, the project was quickly expanded to include 36 additional interactive TVs (ranging from 43” to 54”) in the 13 rooms and 12 suites in the stunning Grade II listed Mansion House of The Grove.
I have been continuously reviewing the guest experience over the past 20 years. In particular, what I have been searching for is a product that can provide seamless streaming services and experiences to our guests. Five years ago, when I began this journey, I couldn't find anything that fit our requirements or our ambitions. That was until I found these interactive TVs, commented Philip Hallam, Group IT Technical Manager at Ralph Trustees Ltd.
Like a fine wine
As the first hospitality TV in the world to feature advanced streaming capabilities and streaming service compatibility launched in 2019, the interactive TVs allow guests staying at The Grove Hotel to easily access and stream all their favorite content from their preferred accounts (including DAZN, Disney+, Prime, YouTube™, and more) directly on the TV using their own connected personal device, regardless of the operating system. With no additional cables or hardware, the risk of tampering or costly theft of dongles is eliminated, while all customer data – such as login credentials – is automatically erased upon checkout.
Running on Android and further extending the role and benefits of in-room TV, guests at The Grove Hotel also have seamless access to a multitude of apps via the Google Play store, with games, news, travel, weather, and information about local attractions among those available through the TV.
Additionally, as part of the audiovisual solutions provider’s long-term commitment to its Android technology and supporting businesses with their sustainability goals, the interactive TVs can also receive regular software updates that add the latest apps, services, and features. This allows the TVs to improve over time, reducing unnecessary hardware upgrades (and electronic waste) while maintaining a consistent user experience in every room.
Personalized experiences
Offering extensive branding, marketing, and personalization opportunities to guests, all interactive TVs installed at The Grove Hotel are connected to a Tiger TMS hotel property management system (PMS) and utilize the audiovisual solutions provider’s CMND content management platform.
The user interface on all interactive TVs has also been customized to feature The Grove Hotel’s iconic colors and branding alongside its design and layout.
Going beyond, each interactive TV can now be configured to meet the needs and requirements of each guest. This includes, but is not limited to, supporting a wide range of different or preferred languages, adding on-screen messages (such as a personalized welcome or congratulations on special occasions), and even adding specific services such as games and channels suitable for guests with children or health-related apps like Peloton and iFit.
Externally, all interactive TVs at The Grove Hotel have had their bezels finished in a stunning pewter color, completing the look and adding a final layer of exclusivity.
The feature we are finding that both hoteliers and their guests worldwide enjoy about the interactive TVs is the casting functionality. It is a fully Google-certified product, allowing guests to arrive with their phones and cast the content they really want to watch. It’s fast and incredibly simple. And the benefits of the interactive TVs extend far beyond, with an amazing variety of entertainment options to cover almost every preference a guest might have. We are incredibly proud to have played such a significant role in the experience at The Grove, one of the UK’s most luxurious hotels, added Kendra Ingram, Professional TV Business Manager at the audiovisual solutions provider.
Philip added: “In the world we live in today, most of the content our guests are looking for really comes from their own streaming services. These interactive TVs were the standout choice for our rooms”.
