Accor signed an exclusive partnership agreement with LG Electronics, the world leader in LCD flat-screen TVs…
Accor signed an exclusive partnership agreement with LG Electronics, the world leader in LCD flat-screen TVs for consumer and professional applications.
Under the agreement, Accor will equip its Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure, Suitehotel, Ibis and Red Roof Inn hotels around the world with LCD flat-screen TVs. The project, which is unprecedented in the hotel industry, represents a potential market of 260,000 television sets, or more than half of France`s entire LCD TV market1.
By offering customers a product that has captured the imagination of today`s TV viewers, Accor is proactively responding to their expectations, while transforming its hotels into a showcase for technological innovation.
Travelers no longer choose their hotel solely on status. They also take into account the conditions of their stay, said Jean-Marc Espalioux, Chairman of the Accor Management Board. Whether it`s an Ibis for the weekend or a Sofitel for a business trip, they want to be able to watch a movie, sportscast or any other event in the best possible conditions. In the past, Novotel innovated by introducing a television set in every room. Today, with flat-screen TVs, Accor is again bringing leading-edge technology into hotels.
Tomorrow`s TV in hotel rooms
Consumers are purchasing more and more LCD flat-screen TVs because they take up less space, offer more comfortable viewing thanks to higher picture definition and are more attractive. Worldwide sales are expected to increase by more than 70% in 2052.
The LG Electronics television sets that will be installed in Accor properties are specially designed for hotel customers, featuring a clock, news bulletins, a volume limiting device, pay-TV access, theft-proof installation and digital inputs so that customers can use the TV screen for their computers, pocket DVD players or digital cameras.
Another advantage is that LCD screens on standby consume three or four times less energy than a cathode ray tube screen.
LG Electronics` LCD sets are also compatible with the next-generation high-definition television technology. This means that today`s agreement gives Accor a competitive edge by enabling customers to benefit from the advantages of tomorrow`s TV, which represents a breakthrough in video and audio broadcast technology.
Innovation in 2 to 5-star hotels
The partnership agreement with LG Electronics is in line with Accor`s constant focus on offering its customers advanced technology, to fulfill or anticipate their needs.
Two years ago, in an industry first, Accor deployed Wi-FI hotspot networks in nearly 2,000 hotels, half of its total portfolio. High-speed, wireless Internet access has proven very popular, even in the economy segment, where Accor is one of the few hotel operators to offer it.
Similarly, Accor is introducing flat-screen TVs not only in upscale and midscale properties, but also in its economy chains-Ibis and, in the United States, Red Roof Inn.
Depending on the rooms and the TV installation (on a wall, in a ceiling corner or on a stand), screen dimensions will vary from 20 to 32 inches. TV sets currently installed in Ibis and Novotel rooms measure 20 inches. The 32 inch screens will be ideally suited for Novotel and Sofitel suites. Plasma televisions will also be installed in hotel lobbies and conference rooms as needed.
LG Electronics: symbol of the technological revival in display products
For this partnership, Accor chose LG Electronics because of the company`s technological expertise, ability to rapidly produce TV sets specifically designed for hotel use, and potential for developing the display technologies of the future, such as organic light-emitting diodes. LG Electronics has won a large number of design awards. This year, one of its advanced LCD television models received the iF Design Award at CeBIT, Europe`s prestigious Reddot Design award, and the Innovation Award at the CES consumer electronics trade show in the United States, just to name a few.
For LG Electronics, equipping such a large number of rooms in such a wide range of hotels, operated by chains that are European leaders in their respective categories, represents a major technological challenge and an accelerator for building brand recognition.
Accor`s decision to equip its rooms with flat-screen TVs is a real first in the hotel industry and a technological breakthrough that marks the end of the cathode ray tube sets previously used in hotel rooms, said Eric Surdej, Chief Executive of LG Electronics France. From now on, LCD or plasma flat screens will be the equipment of choice in hotels. This will be an eye-opener for customers who, for the first time, will use flat-screen television sets and enjoy the benefits they offer in terms of design, ergonomics and user-friendliness. We`re very proud that they will discover flat-screen TVs with LG products. This is a unique opportunity for our company.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
