This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: PPDS to unveil ‘all inclusive’ suite of hospitality display solutions at EquipHotel 2024 + new global streaming partnership announcement.
PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips Professional Displays, is participating at EquipHotel 2024 (3-7 November), with the latest innovations in its portfolio of hospitality display solutions, plus the launch of a brand new ‘all inclusive’ streaming partnership for Philips MediaSuite TVs, all set to take centre stage in Paris on Philips Professional Displays booth H7-3.D040.
Joining 2,200 exhibitors inside the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, the 95,000 plus visitors to EquipHotel – the world’s leading biannual international event for the hospitality market – will be among the first to discover and experience PPDS’ complete market-leading and multi-award-winning hardware and software portfolio, in a single location.
Part of an advanced ‘total solutions’ strategy and deeply aligned with EquipHotel’s ‘Dare to innovate’ theme, the 80m2 Philips Professional Displays booth will stand out as a hotbed of visual activity. PPDS’ growing local and international hospitality sales and management teams will be on hand in Paris to provide live demonstrations of its latest and greatest innovations.
This will include hospitality TVs (43”-75”), digital signage (10”-98”) the ‘zero power’ Philips Tableaux ePaper range (13”-32”), dvLED, and interactive displays (10”-86”), plus a plethora of complementary solutions, such as Philips Cast Server and the Philips Professional Soundbar for elevated TV entertainment and experiences. These and much more.
Speaking ahead of the show in his newly promoted position as Global Director for International Hotel Chains at PPDS, Mikael da Fonseca, commented: “With our extended offering, we’re making things simple for hoteliers by creating a one-stop destination for all their visual needs, no matter how big, small, or creative they may be. With our Philips hospitality display portfolio, we are ensuring greater guest experiences, while maximising and creating new revenue opportunities for hoteliers.”
Buffet of choice
Designed and developed with versatility, flexibility, and the future in mind, PPDS’ extensive portfolio has grown significantly in 2024, evolving to support all digital entertainment, communication, and creative needs inside and outside a hotel, taking guests on a digital journey from the moment they check in.
Showcasing real life and real time scenarios, hospitality solutions featured will include those for lobby/reception areas (from interactive self-check in, to giant videowalls), wayfinding and general hotel information (including promotions, marketing), unrivalled TV entertainment (in guestrooms, bars, gymnasiums and children’s areas), cafes and restaurants (digital menu boards), and more.
The headline hospitality solutions being unveiled and showcased at EquipHotel, many for the first time in Paris, include:
Philips Tableaux
Portable and weighing just 3.5kg, the ‘zero power’ Philips Tableaux Advanced Colour ePaper (ACeP) display is an ideal energy saving solution for hotel properties looking to digitise their paper-based signage, displaying full colour, 24/7 content. Ideal for showing need-to-know information such as reception desk opening hours, wayfinding, convention signage, restaurant menus, promotions and offers, and much more.
Providing instant sustainability benefits, together with substantial energy savings, static content can be displayed without using a kW of power for days, weeks, or even years*. Augmented with an Android SoC processor and WiFi/LAN, local and even global display fleets (for international chains) can be managed entirely remotely using minimal power.
Philips MediaSuite
Europe’s most popular** hotel TV entertainment solution, the latest range of Philips MediaSuite TVs will be on show in Paris, combining the latest world-first features, while continuing to include all existing favourites, including thousands of apps via the Google Play store.
Creating the ultimate home-from-home experience, the Philips MediaSuite Series is the world’s first and only dedicated hotel TV available with Google Cast™ as well as Netflix® ready functionality, allowing guests to access their preferred streaming apps directly on the big screen, or to cast them from their mobile device or laptop. With built-in security, and no additional hardware (including dongles) or wires needed, Philips MediaSuite is the standout choice for the hospitality industry.
Philips Cast Server
The Philips Cast Server is an all-in-one solution bringing additional choice and opportunity for hotel TV integrations. Working together with PPDS CMND, and with hotel PMS’, it seamlessly integrates into a hotel’s existing IP network to deliver a secure, private connection, allowing guests to easily cast their content directly to their in-room TVs.
Philips Professional Soundbar
Creating immersive in-room experiences, the Philips Professional Soundbar pitches the latest in high-quality audio for hotel guests with Philips MediaSuite TVs. Easy to install, set up and control, the Philips Professional Soundbar comes with a built-in subwoofer, designed to bring extra punch to special effects, music, and more. Personal sound content can be played via Bluetooth Audio, and the Soundbar can be controlled via the Philips MediaSuite TV remote control.
And the news just gets better
Included in the exciting launch plans at EquipHotel, PPDS will also be unveiling a brand new ‘all-inclusive’ global streaming partnership for Philips MediaSuite, adding even greater levels of choice for live and on-demand entertainment in guestrooms.
Streaming platforms, including Apple TV+, DAZN, Disney+, Prime, YouTube™, and more, are already available as standard, with more being added regularly. Full details to be revealed at the show, so stay tuned.
Maximising revenues
PPDS teams will also be discussing ways for hotels to create new revenue opportunities by transforming existing facilities into state-of-the-art meeting and conference spaces, utilising its growing range of enterprise-level interactive displays.
Jeroen Verhaeghe, Global Business Development Director for Hospitality at PPDS, commented: “The visual requirements for modern and forward-thinking hotels continue to grow and evolve, with digital displays now not only featured in guest rooms, Now they are used across a wide and varying range of applications, following guests on every step of their journey, from check in, to check out. At PPDS, we are making things as simple as possible for hoteliers looking to enhance the guest experience, with a portfolio that supports all visual requirements. A one-stop-shop, if you will, all of which will be on show at EquipHotel 2024.”
Mikael da Fonseca added: “The beauty of our solutions is that they continue to evolve and to improve, sometimes immediately as they are switched on for the first time. The Philips hospitality TV you saw on the wall of a hotel you visited, or at a previous show, may look the same, yet the capabilities can have been upgraded, with new features and opportunities added. So, in many ways, everything being demonstrated at EquipHotel 2024 is new.”
He concluded: “The hospitality industry doesn’t sit still, and neither do we. We design Philips hospitality displays for today and for the future, evolving around the needs of both the hotelier and the guest. That is just one reason why our hospitality TVs are now the most popular in Europe, with a growing number of the world’s leading hotels making the switch. We look forward to welcoming visitors to the Philips Professional Displays booth at EquipHotel and demonstrating how our solutions can help provide greater guest experiences in your hotel.”