If technology suppliers are correct, tomorrow's hotel guests can expect  unparalleled advances in in-room entertainment systems. Radical technological advances are emerging and converging to create the  ultimate in-room entertainment system. 

Tomorrow's in-room entertainment amenities likely will vary by segment, chain,  property and room type, but guests can count on two things-increased options and  centralized control, suppliers said. 

The plethora of entertainment scenarios perhaps can best be separated into three  categories: probable, possible and questionable. 

Heading the suppliers' list of probable in-room developments for widespread use  within the next five to 10 years are: 
 

High-tech possibilities 

The list of possibilities includes the ability for the guest to select various  camera angles for movies and a questionable capability would take that one step  further, allowing the guest to determine the outcome of a movie based on camera-  angle selection, said David M. Bankers, v.p. of corporate technologies for Sioux  Falls, S.D.-based LodgeNet Entertainment Corp. 

Today's TV, as guests know it, could go the way of the rotary phone within five  to 10 years, he said. A move toward what Bankers termed a "network appliance"  enabling e-mail, Internet and business-applications access likely will be paired  with various "display technologies," including flat-panel HDTVs. 

"These networks might well replace the need to travel with laptops," Bankers  said. 

More and more of these in-room entertainment networks-particularly in the  business hotel market of more than 1.3 million rooms-will be offering high-speed  plug-and-play Internet access, Bankers said. 

LodgeNet announced in June the acquisition of Connect Group Corp., a high-speed  Internet access provider. The firm will have its high-speed access hooked up to  a few thousand guestrooms by year's end, said Peter Klebanoff, director of  industry development. 

Klebanoff said he expects the business to boom as business travelers become  acquainted with the firm's ability to offer Internet access that's more than 50  times faster than a conventional modem. 

Tom Caldwell, v.p. of marketing for Sand Diego-based ATCOM/INFO., which offers  its IPORT pay-per-use Internet access system, agreed that high-speed  connectivity is a catchy concept. 

Although only in 11 hotels totaling about 3,000 rooms to date, ATCOM hopes its  IPORT will be installed in 100,000 ports, including guestrooms, meeting rooms  and public spaces, by the end of next year, Caldwell said. 

Caldwell estimated that fewer than 50 hotels currently have high-speed access  hookup in the United States and that installation costs average $100 per room  for a new hotel and up to $500 per room for an older property. Nevertheless,  Caldwell said he expects most three- to five-star hotels will offer the service  within five years. 

"Hotels historically have been burned by a lot of gadgets in the room, so  they're approaching this very cautiously, but I think it will catch on," Caldwell said. "Business travelers want-and will demand-an office away from the  office and a home away from home." 

Brian Steel, executive vice president of San Jose, Calif.-based On Command  Corp., estimated that at least the top 1 million of the current 3.6 million U.S.  guestrooms within five years have a customer base that's willing and able to pay  for high-speed Internet access. 

On Command currently is testing high-speed Internet access methods and plans to  enter the field in the future.  Steel estimated that by 2010, about half of U.S. lodging properties will have  high-speed Internet access, but said many of the remainder may never follow suit. 

"A lot of these roadside hotels aren't typical destinations for high-speed  Internet connectivity," he said. "Just look at pay-per-view: It's been out more  than two-and-a-half decades, yet only about half of the hotels have it." 
 
 

Ultimate power 

Most technology developments today are aimed at placing more power at the  guest's fingertips, said John Howard, manager of Suite Solutions, a business  division of Dayton, N.J.-based Integrated Building Controls.  Suite Solutions is marketing a centralized bedside guestroom control system for  Singapore-based FMS that allows travelers to turn on and off and control the TV,  as well as room lighting, temperature and curtains. 

Integrating entertainment systems with other guestroom amenities and providing a  single - source control such as the FMS bedside unit not only will improve  customer satisfaction, but also will help hotels cut energy costs, Howard said. 

Suite Solutions' bedside control unit automatically turns off energy, lighting  and entertainment systems when the guest leaves the room. 

"This system is installed in more than 50,000 rooms at upscale hotels in Asia,  India, the Middle East and Africa," Howard said. "In Asia, the bedside control  unit has become synonymous with 'upscale.' Like a lot of technology, we expect  demand for this unit to migrate from the East to the West."