In most hotels, the guestroom TV is still treated as a passive amenity—useful for watching news or the odd movie, but disconnected from the hotel’s real commercial engine. That’s a missed opportunity. In an era where travelers stream more than they channel surf, the in-room screen is no longer just a TV—it’s a canvas. A marketing asset. A revenue tool.
With the right platform and hardware, that screen can promote on-site services, sell upgrades, drive engagement, and enhance the guest journey from check-in to checkout. StayTuned Hospitality is leading this shift by transforming the TV from a utility into a revenue stream.
A New Approach to In-Room Screens
Traditional hotel TV systems have been limited by legacy technology: cable or IPTV delivered over coaxial cables, controlled by set-top boxes, and locked into fixed channel menus. These systems:
- Are expensive to maintain and install
- Offer little to no real-time control over content
- Don’t support guest personalization
- Can’t promote services dynamically
StayTuned Hospitality offers an alternative: a cloud-delivered, app-free experience delivered over Wi-Fi and displayed on smart TVs (typically from Hisense, which offers excellent quality-to-cost ratios). It removes the complexity of IPTV and empowers hotels to directly manage on-screen content in ways that generate real value.
How the StayTuned Platform Drives Revenue
Pre-Cast Splash Screens
Before a guest casts content to the in-room TV using Apple AirPlay, they see a hotel-branded splash screen. This is valuable real estate. You can use this moment to promote:
- Late checkout offers
- On-site dining or bar specials
- Spa availability
- Room upgrades
- Event or tour bookings
These aren’t static banners—they’re dynamic, hotel-controlled zones that can rotate offers based on time of day, room type, or even occupancy patterns.
Branded Welcome Interface
StayTuned’s interface can be fully branded to reflect your hotel’s identity. Logos, colors, fonts, and tone of voice can all match your core brand—delivering consistency across guest touchpoints. This alone adds polish and reinforces professionalism, but it also sets the stage for content promotion.
Some hotels use the welcome screen to highlight:
- Loyalty program benefits and sign-ups
- Seasonal events or live entertainment
- In-room dining QR codes
- Property-wide deals (2-for-1 cocktails, package bundles, etc.)
Rotating Content Panels
StayTuned can allocate on-screen zones to rotate messages or offers. These can refresh daily or hourly and can even be connected to the hotel’s PMS or marketing calendar. A guest browsing the interface might be enticed by a “20% off spa today only” message—or be reminded that local shuttle bookings close by 8 PM.
This real-time control makes the TV not just informative but commercially dynamic.
Real-World Impact: How It Adds Up
Let’s say a 150-room hotel sees 60% of guests use the in-room TV during their stay. If 20% of those guests respond to a splash screen or promo message, that’s 18 upsells per day. Whether it’s a 10 Euro cocktail, a 50 Euro spa treatment, or a 25 Euro late checkout, the revenue adds up quickly.
Multiply that by 30 days and you’re easily looking at 10,000–15,000 Euro’s per month in incremental sales—entirely driven through a screen that already exists in the room.
Built for Wi-Fi, Not Cable
One of the most important aspects of StayTuned is that it operates entirely over the hotel’s Wi-Fi infrastructure. There’s no need for:
- Set-top boxes
- IPTV headend servers
- Specialized remotes or technician installs
The entire system can be deployed on Hisense smart TVs with native AirPlay and StayTuned’s branded software layer. Even hotels without hospitality-grade TVs can participate, as the platform supports many standard commercial displays.
This not only reduces cost, but it allows fast, scalable rollouts—whether for 10 rooms or 300. Updates and new promotions can be pushed remotely through a central portal.
Pairing with Apple AirPlay for Maximum Engagement
The TV only becomes a revenue generator if guests actually use it. That’s why native Apple AirPlay support is so critical.
- No need for an app download
- No passwords or login portals
- Guests stream directly from iPhones, iPads, or Macs
- Familiar UX means fewer questions or complaints
When guests know they can watch their own content easily, they’re more likely to interact with the TV. That interaction is the first step toward monetization. And with more than 80% of hotel Wi-Fi connections coming from Apple devices, according to industry reports, AirPlay becomes the most important casting protocol to support.
StayTuned ensures that this process is secure, seamless, and fully compliant with GDPR. Guest sessions are isolated, and all data is cleared at checkout.
Case Study: Boutique Hotel Example
A 90-room boutique hotel in the UK deployed StayTuned with Hisense Mini-LED TVs in early 2024. By replacing their aging IPTV system with StayTuned:
- In-room TV engagement increased by 45%
- Spa bookings rose 18% month-over-month, largely driven by splash screen promos
- Loyalty program sign-ups increased 12% in the first 60 days
- Support tickets dropped due to the intuitive, AirPlay-first interface
Notably, the property avoided the need for any coax re-cabling or set-top box installation, saving an estimated £18,000 in upfront infrastructure costs.
A Sales-Ready Tool, Not Just a Screen
What StayTuned offers isn’t just an upgrade in content delivery—it’s a redefinition of what the hotel TV is. It becomes:
- A branded guest touchpoint
- A tool for operational efficiency (e.g. self-service check-out, QR-based requests)
- A live channel for driving revenue without extra staffing
- A modern entertainment platform that reduces churn and increases satisfaction
Conclusion
In-room TVs shouldn’t be an afterthought. With the right strategy and tools, they become one of your strongest digital marketing assets. StayTuned Hospitality turns every guestroom screen into a fully branded, interactive, and revenue-generating experience—delivered over Wi-Fi, secured with Apple AirPlay, and free from the limitations of legacy systems.
It’s time to stop thinking of the TV as just a screen—and start thinking of it as your hotel’s most powerful silent salesperson.
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