How Enseo is putting the spotlight back on quality in-room entertainment
Netflix has largely depended on the ubiquity of smart TVs or over the top devices to get in front of viewers, but this week the platform will launch across Comcast’s Xfinity X1 set-top boxes. And, in a less-noted but important development, Netflix this summer announced a partnership with Enseo, one of the largest hospitality entertainment servicers.
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In-room entertainment used to be light years ahead of what was available to consumers via set-top boxes. Only in the last ten years has that flipped.
Now, with hotels looking for new ways to attract visitors (see: Airbnb) and with streaming networks looking to truly be ‘TV Everywhere,’ in-room entertainment is back in focus.
For more on the state of in-room entertainment and the Netflix partnership, we spoke with Enseo CEO Vanessa Ogle:
Found Remote: Hotel room entertainment - from movie selection to tech - used to be more advanced than home entertainment. Now it seems to be the opposite. Is this the case? Where is hotel room entertainment heading?
Vanessa Ogle: It is true that the last 20 years has been a sad state where in room technology was seriously lagging behind consumer electronics and the home experience. We are now (for the first time) seeing some exciting opportunities where the in room experience in hotels is exceeding the at home experience. For example, Enseo is offering a channel change that is less than one second. This is much faster that most at home systems, which average three to seven seconds.
FR: More people are bringing their own streaming sticks to hotels. How do you make that less necessary?
Ogle: Most people are unable to connect their streaming sticks to hotels due to the complexity and archaic nature of most hotel networks. Enseo is revolutionizing the in room network giving each guest their own Personal Area Network or (PAN) where they can program their own SSID and password so their favorite device can attach automatically to the PAN. This means whichever company has the greatest product can be used in any Enseo hotel room at any time. Most guests don't want to have to learn a new system or find a new music station. Technology like Enseo is offering allows guests to stream their own Bluetooth audio from their phone or streaming app directly to the TV.
FR: Why do hotel groups work with Enseo rather than other OTT software providers like Roku?
Ogle: Enseo is uniquely capable of offering the best hotel experience due to the fact we not only are a favorite platform developer to companies like Netflix, but also are approved by the major brands (such as Marriott, Omni, Millennium), and are fully integrated into the hotel Property Management Systems and network.
FR: Have any of the content providers you've worked with decided to make that content available free of charge to guests? Meaning, that guests would not need to sign in or log in to enjoy the content.
Ogle: Yes! Crackle and YouTube have no log in or password. There are several other OTT companies that are considering offering the same services. It is important to note that hotels are not charging to have access to Netflix either, and for guests that already have their own account, there is no additional out of pocket for them.
FR: What are some of the technical challenges of integrating with hotel systems?
Ogle: Hotel systems are much more complicated that a household because there is someone different in the room each night. Instead of integrating one mobile phone on one network, with one set of applications as you do at home, the devices are constantly changing. Also the hotel network has different requirements, as the hotel brand companies are incredibly sensitive to security needs of their guests as well as the need to implement multiple Property Management System interfaces.