LRG and IHG Managed Estate UK Invest 9Million pounds sterling to Upgrade 59 UK Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza Hotels with Acentic Horizon High Speed Internet Access and Panorama HD iTV
By Acentic Group, PRNEWednesday, December 1, 2010
Upgrade is first to include LG Pro:Idiom cryptographic security over coax in Europe, as well as the first major hotel brand large-scale rollout of High Definition in-room entertainment
COLOGNE, Germany, December 2, 2010 - Acentic, a leading supplier of digital interactive TV (iTV) and broadband
services for the hotel industry, announced today that the InterContinental
Hotels Group PLC (IHG) UK Managed Estate is the first hotel estate in the UK
to implement Acentic Horizon High Speed Internet Access (HSIA) and Panorama
High Definition (HD) across its property base to almost 11,000 rooms.
LRG Acquisition Limited, has invested 9Million pounds in Acentic's latest
state-of-the-art in-room interactive guest communication services and digital
entertainment system to upgrade 59 Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza hotel
properties in the UK.
With the integration of Acentic Horizon HSIA and Panorama HD, Acentic is
the first to bring true convergence between the TV experience and HSIA to the
hotel industry. Acentic's revolutionary new core UI is a cross-platform
approach that connects the same branded look and feel on the TV, on laptops
and other wireless devices, such as the iPhone and BlackBerry.
This approach enables hoteliers to cross merchandise between the iTV
platform and GUI log-in pages to encourage guests to buy the full bundled
packages. Guests can purchase Internet access and movies on all platforms
throughout all hotel areas, such as using their iPhone in the hotel bar or
restaurant and make use of their purchase in the room as well. They can also
access the Internet from two different devices, such as a laptop and iPhone,
while paying only once.
Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza guests will experience encrypted and secure
Wi-Fi Internet access throughout all areas of the hotels. Horizon's expanded
features will differentiate the 59 hotels with its full support for all
mobile devices, so guests can continue to do more on the go. Horizon's
flexibility to offer cost-effective bundled solutions that complement the
Panorama iTV system underlines also the seamless and tight integration with
the hotels' existing network infrastructure.
Acentic Panorama HD brings in-room digital broadcast, on-demand and
interactive TV services to upscale hoteliers for the highest quality high
definition viewing experience using IP and Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB)
standards with a HDTV headend and end-to-end digital distribution.
"LRG and IHG UK Managed Estate spent an extensive amount of time
reviewing guest requirements and found that bundling our latest Horizon HSIA
and sophisticated Panorama HD is the optimal technology solution that caters
for the digital lifestyle guests are demanding in the hotel room," said
Richard Robinson, CEO of Acentic. "With outstanding wireless Internet
connectivity and high definition entertainment, as well as valuable
functionality for hoteliers, these hotels are sure to see a huge ROI with the
increased revenue potential from Acentic's revolutionary upgrades."
"Acentic's offering is very attractive because of its converged strategy
that reflects the needs and wants of our guests. Horizon and Panorama work
seamlessly to bring entertainment content from multiple sources, as well as
enable all types of devices from LCD screens to laptop to mobiles," said Will
Morris, IHG Managing Director UK & Ireland. "This is a significant investment
and one in which we are confident to be leading the UK in advanced hotel
technology for our guests."
To ensure HD viewing with the highest resolution and picture quality,
Acentic will provide more than 11,000 latest LG LCD TVs developed
specifically for IHG's installation. The 32" and 37" TVs for guest bedrooms,
as well as 50-inch TVs in the bar areas, are the first to deploy the LG
Pro:Idiom encryption technology over coax in Europe. Pro:Idiom provides
end-to-end cryptographic security for protecting digital HD and SD video
(including movies) and music transmitted over the hotel network.
The upgrade of almost 11,000 rooms represents the first major hotel brand
to rollout HD to such a large number of rooms. It is scheduled for completion
in spring 2011 following the Holiday Inn brand relaunch and the introduction
of Crowne Plaza's Sleep Advantage.
About Acentic Group
Acentic is an international provider of digital TV services and
high-speed Internet access solutions to hotels. Acentic's digital content,
technology, support and services deliver entertainment and revenue generation
tools via the hotel television, providing a unique communications system that
meets the evolving lifestyles of guests. Acentic's digital TV services are in
many of the world's leading hotel chains including Accor, Dorint,
Intercontinental Hotel Group, Hilton, Hyatt, Maritim, Marriott, Movenpick and
Starwood in more than 30 countries in Europe, Middle East and Africa. For
more information, visit www.acentic.com.
Acentic Media Contacts: Alex Crabb +1-617-484-3614 alex@theinkstudio.com
Alex Crabb, +1-617-484-3614, alex at theinkstudio.com
Tags: Acentic Group, Cologne, December 2, Germany, United Kingdom