Guestroom Entertainment Brand Standard & MH Deployment Acceleration Program
U.S. Only | Guestroom Entertainment is Marriott’s next generation entertainment platform, which enables hotels to offer a differentiated experience in order to stay relevant now and into the future, particularly among next gen travelers. This cutting-edge technology will enhance the guestroom television experience – making it personalized, user-friendly, and interactive.
WHAT IS GUESTROOM ENTERTAINMENT?
Guestroom Entertainment is a flexible and scalable platform that lays the foundation for the enhanced television experience in Marriott-branded guestrooms. Built on a set top box, installation of the basic platform will allow for rapid implementation of enhanced features as they become available. Current features on the platform include 40 HD channels, a branded welcome screen, an interactive channel guide, a channel banner, a digital guest directory, and an Internet TV offering, which is currently equipped with Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Crackle and Pandora.
Effective May 8, 2015, the existing brand standard will be updated to apply to all U.S. hotels* and will include an installation deadline of November 30, 2016 (unless still under a legacy contract signed prior to November 1, 2014).
LEADING WITH MARRIOTT HOTELS
A deployment acceleration program is being offered to MH properties and we are asking you to support your properties in offering this in-room entertainment experience. To help facilitate the deployment of the new brand standard, Marriott is offering a one-time incentive of $4 per room per month to MH properties to help offset the cost of the first year of service for the new platform. Marriott will also support the coordination of the bid process among the approved vendors on behalf of hotels in order to achieve the most competitive installation price for participating hotels. Concurrently, MH properties have the opportunity to be a part of Marriott’s national marketing push, which will include property merchandising, PR marketing, and national advertising, such as in-flight, airport, and geo-targeted social ads.
NEXT STEPS FOR IMPLEMENTATION
MH Properties
An invitation to participate in this one-time deployment acceleration program will be shared with MH GMs in the U.S. via the May 11 Weekly Update. We encourage you to support your GMs in taking advantage of this opportunity.
A timeline of key dates and associated actions required for Marriott Hotels to be eligible and participate in the deployment acceleration program include:
- By May 26, 2015: MH properties interested in participating must complete a Property Information Survey and return to Marriott using the instructions in Land-It.
- By July 31, 2015: Participating MH properties will receive bids from approved vendors for installation and maintenance of the entertainment platform.
- August 3 – December 31, 2015: Participating MH properties must select a vendor and sign a contract with a scheduled installation date.
- By March 31, 2016: Deadline for participating MH properties to install the new Guestroom Entertainment platform.
Additionally, Marriott will be hosting a webinar for owners, franchisees and GMs of MH properties on May 18 at 1 p.m. ET to provide details about this program, incentive, and the brand standard. Click here to register. Note: MH GMs will receive an invitation to this webinar via Weekly Update.
All Non-MH Properties
While we are leading with MH, all other Marriott-branded hotels are encouraged to install the new entertainment platform as soon as possible. Franchisees with multiple Marriott-branded properties in their portfolio are encouraged to leverage an aggregate number of installations to help lower the cost from one vendor.
Properties that are interested in transitioning to the new Guestroom Entertainment platform should visit MGS for details and instructions. Additionally, Marriott will be hosting a series of webinars for all other Marriott-branded owners, franchisees and GMs. Join a webinar on June 23 at 1 p.m. ET (register), June 24 at 3 p.m. ET (register) or June 25 at 11 a.m. ET (register) for further details about this program and the brand standard. Note: GMs will receive an invitation to this webinar via Weekly Update.
We are excited about this opportunity to further differentiate Marriott from its competitors and enable our hotels to continue staying relevant with consumers now and into the future. For more information, visit MGS or email GuestroomEntertainment@marriott.com.