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News for the Hospitality Executive |
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Industry Leaders Make Breakthrough in In-room Mobile Media Viewing
KoolConnect Creates Convenient
TV-Screen Prompts To Enhance
the Ease of Use of TeleAdapt�s
Passive MediaHubs
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BOSTON, MA and SPARKS, NV- (September 9, 2008) � While Apple�s iPod® has become a cultural phenomenon, digital music players are only one new piece of technology that is being increasingly brought into the hotel room by both business and leisure travelers. Open up the luggage of today�s tech-savvy traveler and you�re likely to find not just a toothbrush, but also a laptop PC loaded with music, photo and video content, a digital camera and even a gaming console. Since hospitality is all about providing comfort, hotels have been seeking ways to allow guests to enhance their viewing, gaming or listening pleasure by connecting their personal media device to the in-room television or home theatre system. And while media connectivity devices and pay-per-view entertainment systems have been in hotels for years, two leaders in those areas have recently developed a significant innovation that makes it easier than ever for a guest to enjoy their personal media in their hotel room. . 
KoolConnect�s On-Screen Cues Simplify Guest Device Connectivity Via The TeleAdapt MediaHub Building upon TeleAdapt�s leading MediaHubTM connectivity device, KoolConnect Technologies has created convenient on screen cues and settings that allow the guest to easily connect their device and change the source of their media without complex commands or the risk of interrupting their other media in progress. �For quite some time, we�ve offered both an �Active� version of the MediaHub product that automatically switches the input for the guest, as well as a �Passive� version where the guest manually selects the device input,� said Neil Betterton vice president, Americas for TeleAdapt Inc. �What KoolConnect has accomplished is the essential �bridging� of these two products by allowing hotels to install the lower-priced Passive MediaHub while still allowing guests to easily select the input of their personal media.� To achieve this, KoolConnect created convenient on-screen options for the guest, that allow them to connect their device and easily select it for viewing or listening via their TV remote control. �If the guest were using an Active MediaHub and happened to be watching an on demand movie, the guest would lose the ability to control that movie as soon as their device was connected,� said Peter Brandano, KoolConnect�s vice president of Technology. �With the integration that KoolConnect has done with TeleAdapt, we�ve been able to eliminate this potential negative impact on guest satisfaction by allowing the guest to change the input from their remote. This eliminates the opportunity for the guest to interrupt their movie when they switch to their personal device.� In addition to the cost savings associated with purchasing the Passive MediaHub, hotels also gain the advantage of centralizing more media control into one remote control � a benefit that is immediately apparent to anyone struggling with multiple remote controls in their own living room. According to the Travel Industry Association of America, 35% of all hotel stays are for only 1 or 2 nights, further proving the need to avoid instructional �homework� or any type of learning curve in order to use the technology featured in their room. �By including the TeleAdapt MediaHub, centralizing its functions and offering more guest control via the single remote control, KoolConnect�s Video on Demand solution has made it much easier for the guest to enjoy a variety of media during their stay,� said Brandano. About KoolConnect Technologies KoolConnect Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of advanced digital and HD media on demand solutions to luxury and upscale hotels worldwide. KoolConnect was the first company to offer HD VOD in the hospitality industry and today the company�s Intrigue solution � the most customized and fully integrated VOD solution in the industry - serves nearly 20,000 rooms in prestigious properties in the US, Japan, Hong Kong, Dubai and the Caribbean. To learn more about KoolConnect, visit www.koolconnect.com. About TeleAdapt - Keeping Your World Connected TeleAdapt is the word�s innovator in designing guestroom products that help hotels keep their guests connected. Solutions include Ethernet connectors, audio/video connectivity devices, power adapters, and consumer electronics accessories that allow travelers to make the most of their portable devices and content while traveling. Today, TeleAdapt�s guestroom connectivity solutions can be found in over two million hotel rooms worldwide. Founded in 1992 and operations in the United Kingdom; United States; Hong Kong, China; Dubai, UAE and Czeck Republic, TeleAdapt�s products serve the OEM, Retail and Hospitality sectors worldwide � Keeping Your World Connected. For more information on TeleAdapt�s in-room connectivity products for the hospitality industry, visit www.teleadapt.com. |
| Contact:
Ilanna Walden
Cheryl McGinty
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