With many high profile sporting events, such as the World Cup, US Open Tennis and the Tour de France, taking place mid-week, the summer of sport provides hoteliers with an opportunity to drive additional revenue from an already captive in-room audience, who are keen to keep up to date with their favourite sport, whilst away from home on business.

Research commissioned by Quadriga and carried out by independent provider Opinion Matters shows that sixty eight per cent of business travellers work, sleep and channel search in their hotel room when on a business trip. Many hoteliers could be missing a trick by not marketing their own services - they could be running themed promotions around these events, via the in-room TV, to entice guests to experience other services within the hotel.

Commenting on the research, Marc Budie, technology director at Quadriga, said, “Imagine if you could tailor the in-room TV to become a guest communication portal and provide information on where the Tour de France or Golf Open for example, is showing in the hotel. You could then promote a special offer on golf lessons or perhaps highlight a special ‘Taste of France’ dining promotion in the restaurant. By using the TV to effectively market these leisure and restaurant facilities, hoteliers can create additional revenues. In parallel with this, they also engage and improve communication with their guests. It’s a double hit.”

Ronald Little, general manager at the Ramada Encore London West, adds, “Sports events are a perfect example of where the ability to tailor a portal within a guest’s room can create effective revenue streams. We regularly run restaurant promotions through the TV using Quadriga’s Sensiq communications portal and forthcoming events including The Ashes, Formula 1 and in the future the Olympics in 2012, will provide us with a great opportunity to use technology to distinguish our service proposition from those of our competitors.”

Ensuring a high level of guest satisfaction is vital for every hotelier and keeping guests up to date with special offers and facilities is key to help achieve this. Budie adds. “Hotels could be missing a trick by not interacting and engaging with guests more fully through the in-room TV.”