News Briefs

PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips Professional Displays and complementary solutions, is delighted to announce a new partnership with DAZN – the world’s leading sports entertainment platform and Europe’s largest football broadcaster – to bring its live and on-demand content streaming services into hotel guest rooms for the first time, exclusively via Philips MediaSuite hospitality TVs. 

Set to be unveiled and demonstrated for the first time at ISE 2024 in Barcelona (Philips Booth 3P500), this latest global partnership strengthens PPDS’ clear and unrivalled mission to deliver the industry’s most extensive and flexible choice of in-room TV entertainment services for hotels, letting guests take full control of their viewing experiences.

Launched in 2016, and headquartered in London, UK, DAZN provides an extensive choice of live sports and entertainment, with top division men’s and women’s football/soccer, professional boxing, MMA, motorsport, wrestling, and tennis hosted on the platform annually.

Available in more than 200 countries – including a strong domestic presence with premium football/soccer rights in Italy, Spain, Germany, Japan, France, Portugal, Belgium, Taiwan, the United States, and Canada – DAZN has amassed more than 60 million subscribers and 300 million monthly users worldwide. Over 1.2 billion hours of content is streamed annually via the DAZN app, which – until now – has mainly been accessible via a range of connected consumer devices, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles.

The complete package

As part of this exciting and groundbreaking partnership between DAZN and PPDS – a market leader for advanced Android SoC hospitality TVs around the globe – the DAZN app will be available for the first time via hotel guest room TVs, embedded directly onto Philips MediaSuite TVs.  

Developed in partnership, and tailored exclusively for use on the Philips MediaSuite Series – the hotel TV of choice for some of the most recognised global hotel brands, including Accor, IHG, Marriot, and Radisson – the DAZN app will be available for hotels to offer to guests looking to enjoy (for example) the next big Anthony Joshua or Katie Taylor boxing match on the big screen during their stay. 

For hotels wishing to subscribe to DAZN for their guests, there are two initial packages that can be selected depending on their target audience. DAZN Base, which is included in each of the packages as standard, will offer all sports for which DAZN has worldwide rights. This Base package can be added to with DAZN Ultimate – for core territories that have additional rights requirements, for example the Bundesliga in Germany.

Packing a punch 

For more powerful, deeper immersive audio and visual experiences, hoteliers can also include the new Philips Professional Soundbar HAL5023 with a built-in subwoofer, designed and configured exclusively for Philips MediaSuite TVs, which will also be on show at ISE 2024.

Jeroen Verhaeghe, Global Business Development Director Hospitality, commented: “Philips MediaSuite was created to transform what had become an outdated and tired in-room TV experience. Running on Android, we wanted to provide hoteliers with a TV solution that could evolve with the needs of the customer and keeping pace with the trends in the market. This means providing them with what they need to let them take control of how, when, and by whatever means they prefer to consume their content.”

He continued: “We pride ourselves on responding quickly to changes in the market, including implementing new popular apps and services guests crave. We have shown that with our partnerships with the likes of Netflix and Apple TV+ in recent years and, with the popularity and demand for DAZN, we are thrilled to have been selected by their team to become the first global hotel TV manufacturer to offer their fantastic streaming service via Philips MediaSuite TVs.”

Rachelle Peterson, SVP Global Commercial Distribution at DAZN, added: “Here at DAZN, our focus is to ensure our customers have access to the best and widest range of quality content, while at the same time, having the best possible experience through our platform.

“Demand for our services continues to grow exponentially and we are always exploring opportunities to extend our reach further, and to bring even greater value to both new and existing customers, wherever they happen to be – including inside hotel rooms. We’re delighted to have partnered with PPDS, a company that shares our obsession for quality and experience, to debut our DAZN app inside guest rooms for the first time with Philips MediaSuite.”

Jeroen concluded: “If you are on holiday or away on business, the DAZN app on Philips MediaSuites means you can now enjoy all your favourite sporting events on your in-room TV in up to 4K resolution, together with great sound. At PPDS, our philosophy is always to lead from the front. This is demonstrated once again with our partnership with DAZN. The days of having to squint at a small smartphone or tablet display to enjoy quality sports in your hotel room are over. We look forward to demonstrating this great new platform at ISE 2024.”

Sophia Learning, an online, on-demand, self-paced learning platform providing college-level courses. is partnering with Jason’s Deli,  to give its full-time and part-time employees access to Sophia’s low-cost $99/month subscription. The subscription will include access to more than 60 high-quality general education college-level courses.

The monthly subscription will be reimbursable in accordance with the tuition reimbursement policy of Jason’s Deli. Additionally, Jason’s Deli employees will be eligible to receive the tuition reimbursement benefits for multiple reimbursement cycles, including consecutively month over month.

"At Jason's Deli, we recognize that financial barriers can be an obstacle for our employees who want to meet their education goals. Jason’s Deli is proud to launch our education benefits program with Sophia to help remove this burden for our employees,” said Alex Cone, VP of Human Resources for Jason’s Deli. “Sophia's platform is a great partner for us and will allow our diverse workforce to continue to learn and excel, whenever or wherever they choose."

Sophia is an online learning platform that allows students at any stage of their higher education journey to get started on their education or finish up their college-level courses. The courses are flexible, ACE®-recommended for college credit, and available through an affordable monthly subscription that allows students to move through courses at their own speed.

Sophia currently partners with over 60 colleges and universities who have agreed to award credit for Sophia courses. Through the partnership, Jason’s Deli employees will be eligible to receive credit with Sophia partner institutions as well as apply for consideration at non-partner institutions.

“As more frontline workers consider going back to school, having access to affordable general education courses that are flexible and transferable will be absolutely critical for them,” said Shawna Thayer, Chief Executive Officer of Sophia. “We are excited to partner with Jason’s Deli to provide their team members with a pathway to help them advance their personal and professional goals.”

Starting today, eligible Jason’s Deli employees are able to apply for a Sophia subscription. For more information, visit https://app.sophia.org/jasons-deli to learn more about the partnership and its offerings.

Hotel Internet Services (HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions for the hospitality industry, has successfully deployed a high-performance guest WiFi service upgrade at Plantation Beach Club at Indian River Plantation in Stuart, Florida. An oceanfront timeshare consisting of 30 fully furnished units and managed by Hilton Grand Vacations, Plantation Beach Club enhanced its WiFi network capabilities to ensure guest satisfaction with the quality of their online experience at the property.

A destination promising the ultimate tropical beach getaway, Plantation Beach Club offers a range of amenities, including a heated pool, BBQ grills, golf, tennis and other recreation. Its WiFi capabilities, however, were hampered by thick concrete walls, disrupting signal strength and causing performance issues with the network infrastructure that could not keep pace with modern online behavior and the multitude of devices simultaneously seeking online connection.

To resolve these issues, Plantation Beach Club leveraged the industry-leading network technology expertise of HIS to design and implement a WiFi service upgrade capable of living up to modern guest standards. To ensure uninterrupted WiFi signal penetration across all onsite areas, HIS technicians worked to install fiber optic cabling and high-powered Ruckus access points within strategic areas, eliminating the potential for dips in service quality previously caused by the concrete walls, while keeping installation costs down. With the adoption of HIS’ FUSION gateway platform, the resort also gains a range of advanced network features that function automatically to provide each guest with a reliably fast and secure online experience. These include the deployment of bandwidth usage quotas, which prevent guests from using more than their fair share of available network resources and ultimately affecting the online experience quality of other guests.

“We recognize that today’s guests consider fast and reliable WiFi access to be a top priority, which can either make or break their overall stay experience,” said Christopher Arndt, Resort Director at Plantation Beach Club at Indian River Plantation. “Having benefitted from a relationship with Hotel Internet Services for more than 15 years, we were fully confident that their experience and commitment to customer service could provide our resort with a cost-effective solution to deliver the type of WiFi performance that today’s guests need and expect. Since the recent upgrade, we are proud to report an extremely positive reception from our guests, as well as the elimination of WiFi signal dead spots.”

In addition to installing a network capable of keeping pace with evolving technology, HIS is further credited with providing Plantation Beach Club with effective 24/7 support that can swiftly address and correct any performance-related issue. To ensure uninterrupted satisfaction, HIS troubleshooting and support is also available to guests who require assistance with connection issues.  

SevenRooms, a marketing and operations platform, has announced its acquisition of HeyPluto, an AI SMS marketing platform used by hospitality and consumer brands to build and sustain authentic and mutually profitable relationships with their customers. This acquisition furthers SevenRooms mission to deliver personalized, revenue-generating marketing and loyalty tools to hospitality operators.

Through the acquisition, SevenRooms will continue to expand the ways customers can connect with guests — in line with the company's latest release, Private Line, an exclusive messaging line to give high-value guests - like VIPs, press, frequent diners and top spenders - an easier, faster way to get in touch with their favorite restaurants. The acquisition will broaden SevenRooms' marketing suite capabilities to help their customers make more money and increase loyalty while building deeper relationships with their guests.

The HeyPluto team's "expertise in AI and personalized messaging is essential to our efforts to scale personalized marketing and loyalty solutions for the hospitality industry. Together, we'll be able to help our customers market more effectively through automated tools and connect more deeply with their guests," said Joel Montaniel, CEO and Co-Founder of SevenRooms. 

Hudini has been appointed by SH Hotels & Resorts, an affiliate of global private investment firm Starwood Capital Group, that operates 1 Hotels, Baccarat Hotels and Treehouse Hotels, to streamline services and deliver exceptional guest experiences through a new innovative custom mobile app.

Hudini has developed iOS and Android guest facing apps for each of SH Hotels & Resorts' three iconic brands: 1 Hotels, Baccarat Hotel, and Treehouse Hotels. Using a proprietary middleware engine that integrates key hotel systems, the guest facing app supports the entire guest journey from pre-check in to post-check out. It does so while enabling personalized services and increased guest engagement as well as simplifying backend processes to improve operational efficiency and sustainability.

The Hudini app enables guests to skip the front desk and check in directly. It also doubles as a guest room mobile key and TV remote. Guests can place in-room dining orders through the app's dynamic menu, which provides information about the hotels' sustainably produced farm-to-table dishes; it also lets guests customize their meals with locally sourced ingredients. By leveraging data, the digital platform delivers a more intuitive and immersive experience for each guest as well as provides revenue generating opportunities with upsell options from booking to ordering room service.

Each SH Hotels & Resorts' brand is distinctive, and the technology ensures that guests can explore and enjoy everything that makes these hotels unique. For example, 1 Hotels have high standards of sustainability at its nature-inspired properties, Baccarat Hotels' sophisticated design is based on the rich history of the crystal brand, and Treehouse Hotels recreate the playful and carefree comforts of childhood. By implementing Hudini's digital platform, all the hotel brands can enhance their guest engagement and services.

Hudini can also deliver these services as a web-based app with full functionality if guests don't want to download an app. Hudini's solution is operated in a multi-tenant model that can be either cloud based or on-prem and is priced on a per room, per month basis.

Prince Thampi, Founder & CEO of Hudini, says, "The result is thoughtful, custom tailored experiences that guests will love coming back for. SH Hotels & Resorts fully recognized the potential of emerging hospitality technology and had a very clear vision in approaching us - driving great experiences for guests at their hotels. These experiences will only become more personalized as the technology evolves, and we're excited to partner with them in this transformation."

Denise Walker, Chief Information Officer, SH Hotels & Resorts, says, "The 1 Hotels, Baccarat Hotels and Treehouse Hotels mobile applications, powered by Hudini, provide seamless interactions, personalized services and robust features that align perfectly with our strategy to redefine hospitality in the digital era. The new customer journey and accompanying mobile app is a tremendous achievement that reflects our commitment to provide unique, elevated, and personalized experiences to our guests."

Vindow, a transparent marketplace for buyers and sellers of contracted hotel accommodations, is proud to announce that Globespan Travel Management, a top-tier corporate travel management firm, has selected their platform to manage all their transient and group hotel sourcing. Designed for both group and transient programs, Vindow harnesses the power of advanced data analytics to empower decision-makers with insights that are crucial for making informed and strategic buying decisions.

Vindow’s cutting-edge platform will revolutionize the way that Globespan manages their hotel sourcing and travel program management. The platform’s user-friendly interface and machine learning features enable travel managers to extract valuable insights into traveler sentiments and anticipated trends, making it easier for travel managers to pick the best destinations and/or properties, and making it significantly simpler to negotiate and manage large-scale corporate transient programs.

“Ultimately, we chose to work with Vindow for two key reasons: the advanced functionality of the platform, which I know will make our travel managers’ jobs much easier, and the company’s willingness to develop customizable functionality to enable their clients to manage their sourcing more effectively, according to their specific needs and goals,” said Daniel Moretta, President from Globespan. “As our client list continues to evolve into new verticals, we know that, if necessary, Vindow’s development team will be willing to support our growth by making updates to the platform which will enable us to be more effective in our sourcing, giving our clients better results, and improve our overall business success.”

“We are very excited to help Globespan and their team take their sourcing to the next level,” said Victor Pynn, CEO of Vindow. “We built Vindow with a strong dedication to customer support and, because three-quarters of our staff are on the development team, it gives us the ability to incorporate buyer feedback into our innovation pipeline and quickly deliver solutions that solve our partners’ real-world problems. In short, this partnership will be a win/win for us and for Globespan."

The partnership with Vindow not only equips Globespan's travel managers with enhanced options for hotel procurement and travel program management today, but also positions them as contributors to future innovations in the industry.