QUICK TIPS AND BEST PRACTICES
Technology Guide
*$1000 Wyndham Show Special: Offer ends July 2, 2015. Service must be ordered from SONIFI by July 2, 2015 and installed by September 2, 2015. Requires DIRECTV’s ENTERTAINMENT Package with local channels and HD Access. Five-year agreement required. Offer only available for Wyndham branded properties whose owners
attended the 2015 Wyndham Conference. $1,000 credit will be applied in 1st month’s bill by SONIFI. 1 DRE HD Access, DRE Receiver Software Fee, and local channels are separate monthly charges. Local channels eligibility based on service address. Not all networks available in all markets. 2 FREE DRE HD Receivers: Requires purchase
of DIRECTV Residential Experience and a Premium Channel (HBO, SHOWTIME or STARZ). One FREE DRE HD Receiver per guest room. DRE HD Receiver cannot be exchanged for HD DVR Receiver. Standard charges apply for each additional HD and/or HD DVR Receiver. 3 THREE FREE MONTHS OF HBO AND CINEMAX OFFER: Three-month
HBO/Cinemax programming credit applied in months one through three of monthly subscription. HBO/Cinemax will continue at the standard retail rate in month four. Offer excludes University accounts. Customer must be a new or existing DIRECTV subscriber with a new five-year agreement and must not have received HBO® programming from DIRECTV or any other distributor during the six months prior to activation. Customer must subscribe to a base package(FAMILY, ENTERTAINMENT or ULTIMATE) and either HBO® or HBO®/Cinemax package. 4 Equipment and installation fees will be charged separately. All products and services are manufactured and/or provided
by DIRECTV or SONIFI and not by Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (WWC) or its affiliates. Neither WWC nor its affiliates are responsible for the accuracy or completeness of any statements made in this advertisement, the content of this advertisement (including the text, representations and illustrations) or any material on a website to which the advertisement provides a link or a reference. Please refer to the applicable brand specifications for your property prior to purchasing products. AC360°: ©2015 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. ©2015 DIRECTV. DIRECTV and the DIRECTV for BUSINESS logo are trademarks of DIRECTV, LLC. ©2015 SONIFI. SONIFI and the connector logo are trademarks of SONIFI Solutions, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
DIRECTV
RESIDENTIAL EXPERIENCE
CALL 1-888-988-5029
today to get the best TV experience at our best prices ever. Watch Anderson Cooper on AC360°
weeknights at 10pm ET, on CNN HD
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PROGRAMMINGPACKAGES FROM PER ROOM PER MONTH
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4PROPERTIES AND GUESTS WILL BENEFIT FROM:
Advanced technology that’s easy, flexible and compatible with all TVs and wiring
Adaptable platform allowing you to future-proof your HDTVs with the best-in-class HD Entertainment solution Full residential channel lineup with access to over 100 HD channels1
Interactive programming guide with a simplified, anti-microbial remote
FREE HD Receivers2
All products and services are manufactured and/or provided by Deep Blue Communications and not Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (WWC) or its affiliates. Neither WWC nor its affiliates are responsible for the accuracy or completeness of any statements made in this advertisement, the content of this advertisement (including the text, representations and illustrations) or any material on a website to which the advertisement provides a link or a reference. Please refer to the applicable brand specifications for your property prior to purchasing products.
Deep Blue Communications
& Wyndham Hotel Group
ंऋऄࣾऄं
ࢾ
Wi-Fi powered customer
insight and analytics
TM
New from Deep Blue...
Get your Wi-Fi
from the
Hotel Wi-Fi Pro!
Call Deep Blue Today
1-800-622-0396
www.deepbluecommunications.com
• Over 12 Years Experience
Managed Wi-Fi networks for hotels across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
• Over 1,000 Managed Properties
• Ruckus Wireless Hardware Partnership
• 24/7/365 U.S. Based Helpdesk Support
• 30-Day Nationwide Install Window
All products and services are manufactured and/or provided by each supplier and not by Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (WWC) or its affiliates. Neither WWC nor its affiliates are responsible for the accuracy or completeness of any statements made in this advertisement, the content of this advertisement (including the text, representations and illustrations) or any material on a website to which the advertisement provides a link or a reference. Please refer to the applicable brand specifications for your property prior to purchasing products.
The ABCs of HD Technology
1
High Speed Internet Access:
3
How to Provide an Exceptional Guest Experience
Commercial vs. Consumer Televisions
7
The Difference Can Be Costly
2 1
The ABCs of HD Technology
W
e live in a Web-enabled world. Just as advancesin technology have changed how we connect and consume entertainment services at home, they are also dramatically changing the guest in-room entertainment experience. For hotels everywhere, the foundation of that experience is, of course, the TV. And that investment matters, because guests do expect a similar experience in a hotel as they enjoy at home. Simply upgrading your guest room televisions to the latest HDTV technology will not get you there. It’s important to understand all the components required to achieve an optimal programming and viewing experience. Key considerations include:
For valuable resources on guest room technology and access to the latest supplier pricing, deals and
incentives, visit the Strategic Sourcing website at WHGSourcing.com. Have a question? Contact us directly at
1. What are your brand specifications for TV’s and programming? Timing?
Each brand has details on the timing and specifications for their TV requirements on the brand standard portal. If you have questions on which TV size or type is right for your property – please contact the Samsung sales support hotline at: (888) 727- 2664 or send an email to IML. [email protected]. For Technical Service Support call (866) 894-0524 between 9am-9pm EST, Monday through Friday.
2. Mounting and installation requirements?
• Will you put the TV’s on existing furniture?
• Is wall mounting necessary? • Will you need a security solution? The answers to these questions are very property-specific and depend on many factors, including the overall budget for installation. A great resource for more information on all of the above topics is Peerless-AV. Peerless has hospitality-specific products for wall mounts, table mounts and
security solutions. Learn more by visiting
www.peerless-av.com.
3. Disposal of old “tube” TV’s?
• Is there hazardous waste concerns?
• How to identify electronics recycling companies?
4. Once you buy new TV’s, how will you make sure you have HD programming?
One of the most common mistakes hoteliers can make is purchasing new High Definition TVs without planning for the accompanying upgrade of high definition programming. Prior to buying new TVs, talk with your existing cable or satellite provider to see if HD programming is available for hotels in your area. If it is, shop around for competitive offers. DISH Networks and DirecTV both offer national hospitality pricing for Wyndham Hotel Group. Last but not least, if you plan to upgrade
your programming or renew a contract that will include a premium channel like HBO – make sure you check our supplier directory at WHGSourcing.com on all available HBO incentives.
4 3
F
or business and leisure travelers alike, in-room technology matters. Today, guests arrive with an assortment of devices – laptops, iPhones, tablets – and expect high-speed Internet access to keep them connected, productive and entertained during their stay. According to a recent TripAdvisor® survey, 89percent of U.S. travelers rate free Wi-Fi as the most important hotel amenity*. Not surprising, since most arrive carrying at least two Wi-Fi enabled devices. Thanks to the growing use of mobile tablets, which are heavy users of video streaming, the guest room Wi-Fi networks that most hotels thought they had brought up to standard just a few years ago are struggling to keep up with user demands. The reality is most guests assume that wireless Internet access is a basic service and continues to drive hotel choice. Yet robust, reliable connectivity remains a serious challenge in the hospitality industry.
Not Just an Amenity Anymore
In the J.D. Power & Associates 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study, reliable high speed Internet access ranks among the top three most important guest amenities, next to complimentary breakfasts and pillow/bedding choices. Slow, costly or interrupted Wi-Fi service also ranked among business travelers’ biggest pet peeves, according to a joint study by Frequent Business Traveler magazine and the online travel site FlyerTalk.
While the Internet is still used for business
communications – primarily email – it is increasingly used for bandwidth intensive entertainment
purposes, including gaming, video and downloading music. To ensure an optimal guest experience, you need not only the right amount of bandwidth, but also bandwidth management, security, the appropriate Terms and Conditions and professional, responsive support.
Making the Right Investments
Many high bandwidth solutions are available in the market, from DSL, T-1, Fiber and Cable (up to 50 Mbps). Reliable wireless solutions have made it easier and more cost effective to expand your network bandwidth – to accommodate increasing guest expectations and preferences. So where do you begin? Here are six critical questions to pose to your current provider:
1. What is your current network bandwidth? The amount of bandwidth your system supports is important because it determines how many users your system can effectively handle, as well as the number of applications, particularly video, that can be accommodated at the same time. One easy way to check is to run a free test – just go to www.speedtest.net. Compare this to what your provider is billing you for, and ask them to provide you with monthly reporting.
2. Does your current system have an Internet Gateway?
This is critical in ensuring the security and reliability of your network by providing the first level of defense against illegal use of your system, but also allows the system to redirect the guest to a preselected website.
3. Do you need a bandwidth aggregator? A bandwidth aggregation device is used to combine numerous sources of bandwidth to create additional throughput and redundancy. Typically, this is achieved by working with two different providers: such as DSL service from the phone company and a cable modem from the cable company.
4. Do you have the ability to support 802.11a/b/g devices as well as the latest 802.11n technology? The majority of new wireless devices –
smartphones, game systems, iPads – are designed and optimized for use on 802.11n wireless systems. You’ll want to ensure your system can support those, along with older devices with 802.11 a/b/g capability, to create a positive guest experience.
*Source: http://ir.tripadvisor.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=813739
5. Do your guests have to agree to Terms and
Conditions to use the Internet at your property? If they don’t, your Internet provider has probably not installed an “Internet gateway” device. This is the first line of defense to protect you against malicious or illegal use of your network.
6. Does your provider offer responsive, professional support?
Likely, your front desk staff is not equipped to answer technical questions on how guests can connect to the wireless network. It’s critical to have a high speed supplier who provides a toll-free hotline for guest support and can diagnose network problems remotely.
Bandwidth is Key to a Positive Guest
Experience
The bottom line? Reliable connectivity and having the right amount of bandwidth matters now more than ever. The days of offering free Wi-Fi only in your lobby are long gone. And while debate still rages on about free versus tiered fee strategies for the service, guest demands will require you have it regardless – or they will stay elsewhere. Studies conducted for industry sources* reinforce that while free Internet service remains a big factor in choosing a hotel, nearly two-thirds of business travelers say they have encountered slow Internet downloading in the last 12 months. Over two-thirds said they would “not return to a hotel where they had a poor technology experience.” You don’t want to be that hotel. Strategic Sourcing has been working diligently over the last year to negotiate competitive supplier programs to help you provide reliable high-speed Internet access to your guests. Deep Blue Wireless, Inc, Safety NetAccess and StepsAway are part of our High-Speed Internet Access program. All approved providers have the capability to meet your growing bandwidth requirements, as well as your customer service needs. For more information on all Strategic Sourcing supplier programs, visit us online at www.WHGSourcing.com. If you have specific questions related to high-speed Internet, please feel free to email us at strategic. [email protected].
AfTER
The difference between participating in our programs and using another alternative could leave you with more than just a mess – it may cost you guests. To help you meet your high speed Internet access needs, we continue to identify quality, affordable, national suppliers.
APPRovED HIGH-SPEED INTERNET
ACCESS SuPPlIERS
(866) 943 4333 [email protected] www.deepbluecommunications.com 855-SNA-HSIA [email protected] www.safetynetaccess.com BEfoREAll products and services are manufactured and/or provided by each supplier and not Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (WWC) or its affiliates. Neither WWC nor its affiliates are responsible for the accuracy or completeness of any statements made in this advertisement, the content of this advertisement (including the text, representations and illustrations) or any material on a website to which the advertisement provides a link or a reference. Please refer to the applicable brand specifications for your property prior to purchasing products.
*iBAHN
High Speed Internet Access:
6 5
the world
the world
the world
is watching
is watching
is watching
is watching
is watching
is watching
...
Visit
homeboxoffi ce.com/bulkmarkets
for incentives and more.All products and services are manufactured and/or provided by HBO® and not by Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (WWC) or its affi liates. Neither WWC nor its affi liates are responsible for the accuracy or completeness of any statements
made in this advertisement, the content of this advertisement (including the text, representations and illustrations) or any material on a website to which the advertisement provides a link or a reference. Please refer to the applicable brand
specifi cations for your property prior to purchasing products. ©2015 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved. HBO® and related channels and service marks are the property of Home Box Offi ce, Inc.
7
I
t may be tempting to buy a consumertelevision when you are presented with what appears to be an outstanding deal. Saving money, after all, is an important goal in today’s challenging economic environment; however, for many products, particularly televisions, there are significant differences between the consumer sets offered through discount retailers and the brand-specified commercial-grade units negotiated by Strategic Sourcing.
What seems like a great deal now, can actually end up costing you more in the long-run. Here’s why:
1. Commercial Grade Tvs Carry Commercial Warranties
While consumer televisions may seem less expensive upfront, they often cost more time and money in the long-run. Consumer televisions have limited warranties, and when issues occur, you will incur the full cost of service. Comparatively, commercial televisions typically come with two-year warranties and dedicated support teams, familiar with hotel business needs, are available to you at no charge.
2. Commercial Grade Tvs Save on Set-up Costs Consumer televisions have to be set up individually to support hotel programming. Commercial sets feature USB cloning
capabilities, allowing all property televisions to be set up at the same time with the press of a button. They also have many features that make managing content easier for you. With the Free-to-Guest Management Appliance (FMA), you have the ability to make changes to all your television content at any time from a central control point.
3. Commercial Grade Tvs feature Pro:Idiom™ Technology
Pro:Idiom technology makes it easier to deliver in-room entertainment to your guests. Pro:Idiom is a hardware based, 128-bit encryption digital rights management (DRM) system developed specifically for the lodging industry. It has become an industry standard. The robust, highly secure technology platform helps assure rapid, broad deployment of high definition (HD) and other high-value digital content and protects satellite-delivered HD programming and video-on-demand content against piracy. Without Pro:Idiom, each guest room would require a less aesthetic set-top box in order to receive encrypted HD programming. Set-top boxes
increase costs and power consumption, require cabling and are easily tampered with or stolen. Many premium content providers require DRM technology to show their content in high definition (HD), including HBO®, Showtime® and
ESPN.
4. Commercial Grade Tvs feature MPEG Technology
MPEG-4 is another key benefit of Pro:Idiom offerings. MPEG or Motion Picture Experts Group, is a compression format that allows digital information to take up less space on a device or during transmission. This format compresses digital video and is commonly used to compress HD signals for satellite and hotel systems. If a TV does not have MPEG-4 built-in, getting HD signals could be costly as satellite providers require more hardware in each guest room and/or at a hotel’s head-end.
5. Commercial Grade Tvs Drive Energy Savings Commercial sets offer dynamic energy savings and lower power consumption than consumer options. Samsung has transitioned its entire hospitality lineup to use LED technology. The benefit to you and your guests is clear. LED’s light characteristics provide a brighter picture and improved contrast ratio (brighter light areas and darker blacks). In addition, LEDs use less energy than CCFLs (the fluorescent lighting historically used on LCD TVs.) The result - a lower cost of operation and an environmentally-friendly product. Depending on screen size, Samsung’s LED hospitality HDTVs can use up to 40% less electricity than previous generation LCD TVs or cable-ready televisions.
Commercial vs. Consumer Televisions:
The Differences Can Be Costly
6. Commercial Grade Tvs are lockable
Consumer TVs offer few lockable features, so programmed settings are subject to the whims of your guests. In contrast, commercial sets, including LCD models, allow all settings to be locked.
Procuring products and services through local suppliers may seem like a good option, but doing so can mean considerable risks and additional costs. Consumer grade products are not designed to withstand the demands of commercial use, are not supported in the same way and the quantity required often doesn’t qualify for pricing discounts. Strategic Sourcing provides volume-pricing opportunities on the products required to meet brand standards. Only goods and services that have passed extensive quality, life cycle and durability testing are chosen to be part of the Strategic Sourcing program.
For more information and resources visit us online at WHGSourcing.com.
KEY BENEfITS
• Pro:idiom with MPEG technology (Selected Models) - to enable access to premium content such as HBO®,
Showtime® and ESPN
• 2-year guest room warranty
• 4 energy saving modes / eco-sensor / ENERGY STAR 4.0 & 5.0
• Auto-sensing inputs and front panel lock-out • Audio volume limiters & leveler
• Table swivel stand on 32” & larger with lock down 90°/90° swivel
• USB cloning and channel re-mapping on all models • Integrated b-LAN™ Communication (Model #s D468,
D568) - to eliminate the need to purchase LodgeNet setback cards
• Certified with the following Interactive video providers: LodgeNet, Enseo, NStreams, Guest-Tek, Seachange, NXSystems, IBAHN, Tangerine, VRN.
10 9
AT&T - Long Distance Wireline Service (OneNet)
Long Distance Telephone Services (888) 288-0112
For Billing, Prompt 1 / For Order Status, Prompt 2
www.att.com
AT&T - Local Wireline Service
East Region - CT
Order Status - (800) 424-5112, Prompt 1, ext. 72121 Midwest Region - IN, IL, OH, MI, WI
Order Status - (866) 424-4066 Prompt 1 ext. 14744 Billing - (866) 424-4066 2 ext. 67672
Southwest Region - TX, KS, OK, M0, AR
Order Status - (877) 428-5018 Prompt 1, ext. 71645 West Region - CA and NV
Order Status for CA - (888) 542-6429 Prompt 1 ext. 54652 or email
Order Status - for NV - 866-643-5111 or email [email protected] www.att.com
AT&T Mobility Wireless Voice, Wireless Data, and Mobility Solutions
(800) 331-0500
http://www.att.com/wireless
AT&T Wireless for Personal Accounts
To shop & enroll for discounts visit the Premier store at:
www.att.com/wireless/wyndhamfranchises
Questions? Contact [email protected]
Cetis, Inc
Scitec/Teledex/TeleMatrix Telephones Dave Johnson
(719) 219-9172
Deep Blue Communications
High Speed Internet Access and Wi-Fi (888) 798-3211
Customer Service: (800) 622-0396
www.deepbluecommunications.com
DIRECTV
Digital television entertainment services (888) 988-5029
Home Box Office
Premium Television Service, Offering Top-Notch Entertainment (800) 426-1426
www.homeboxoffice.com/bulkmarkets
LG Electronics U.S.A., Inc.
Commercial Electronics & Appliances
http://www.lg.com/us/commercial/display-discover/whg/index
Safety NetAccess
High Speed Internet Access and Wi-Fi (617) 268-1134
www.safetynetaccess.com
Samsung Hospitality
Hospitality Grade LCD and LED HDTVs (Pro: Idiom Embedded options recommended) (888) 727-2664
[email protected] www.samsung.com/hospitality
SemaConnect
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (800) 663-5633
[email protected] www.semaconnect.com
SONIFITM Solutions, Inc. Hotel Technology Solutions Amir Permeh
(888) 988-5029
[email protected] Sonifi.com
Sprint
Wireless Voice, Wireless Data and Push to Talk Sprint Corporate Care
(800) 390-9545
Corporate Account Management Team Kurt Friedlein, National Account Manager (732) 803-3349
Employee Accounts (Personal Liability Accounts) (800) 722-9336 www.sprint.com/wyndhamworldwideemployee Uniguest, Inc. (800) 467-1218 x107 www.uniguest.com SM
2015 Wyndham Hotel Group
Conference Special*
Buy 15 - Get One FREE
APPLIES TO
Any Samsung 32” – 48” hospitality TV
MINIMUM ORDER
Must order 15 units of the same model
PROMOTIONAL PERIOD
Promotion period 3/16/2015 – 4/30/2015. Paperwork must be completed, payment received and
orders shipped by 4/30/15 to qualify.
*Ask about our financing options.
HOW TO ORDER
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (888) 727-2664
*Available for U.S. properties only.
© 2014 All products and services are manufactured and/or provided by Samsung Electronics America and not by Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (WWC) or its affiliates. Neither WWC nor its affiliates are responsible for the accuracy or completeness of any statements made in this advertisement, the content of this advertisement (including the text, representations and illustrations) or any material on a website to which the advertisement provides a link or a reference. Please refer to the applicable brand specifications for your property prior to purchasing products.
All products and services are manufactured and/or provided by Direct Capital, a CIT Company and not by Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (WWC) or its affiliates. Neither WWC nor its affiliates are responsible for the accuracy or completeness of any statements made in this advertisement, the content of this advertisement (including the text, representations and illustrations) or any material on a website to which the advertisement provides a link or a reference. Please refer to the applicable brand specifications for your property prior to purchasing products.
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Richard Henderson, Vice President, Franchise V: (603) 433-9434 | F: (603) 433-9720 E: [email protected]
