Managing room-based hotel communication terminal content based on guest information

#The present disclosure relates generally to hotel communication systems, and, more particularly, to managing room-based hotel communication terminal content based on guest information.

#Typical channels available for a hotel to convey information to its guests, particularly while staying at the hotel, include mass-distributed information, such as printed books or brochures, websites, and one-way television broadcasts to all guest rooms, or else individually focused information, such as printed letters, emails, or text messaging. Mass-distributed information can be helpful when it applies to all or a broad range of the hotel's guests, but individually focused information is often needed for particular personal instances, or else to better tailor the hotel experience to various groups or types of guests. However, individually focused information is often difficult to convey, especially in a timely manner, without burdening limited hotel resources, or else without relying too greatly on guests' technical ability or attention to things like emails or text messages from unknown numbers, assuming the guests even travel with their smart communication devices.

#The techniques herein are directed generally to managing room-based hotel communication terminal content based on guest information. In particular, hotels, and particularly those with a loyalty rewards program and associated partner businesses, can use the techniques herein to provide real-time, on-demand, customized content to their guests, directly to their hotel rooms, in order to optimize customer response. That is, a method and system are described herein for distributing targeted, on-demand content to hotel guests may be implemented in one or more hotels by providing communication terminal in hotel guest rooms, where such devices may communicate with a server and software system to provide on-demand access to both static and changing content, including formatting and information. For example, content may be customized based on the guest's standing in the hotel's customer loyalty program, on the guest's interests as indicated in third-party databases, on other groupings such as events the guest is attending, and so on.

#The embodiments herein may be better understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals indicate identically or functionally similar elements, of which:

#FIG. 1 illustrates an example system in accordance with one embodiment;

#FIG. 2 illustrates an example system in accordance with one embodiment;

#As noted above, typical channels available for a hotel to convey information to its guests generally include mass-distributed information and individually focused information. Mass-distributed information typically is best when it applies to all or a broad range of the hotel's guests, while individually focused information is needed for personally directed communications or group-based communications for particular groups or types of guests.

#As also noted above, however, individually focused information is often difficult to convey, especially in a timely manner, without burdening limited hotel resources. In particular, printing individual or even group-based letters can be a time consuming and difficult task. Alternative techniques used by hotels today to relay individually focused information are often directed to tech-savvy guests that carry their own smart devices with them at all times.

#As an illustrative example, many hotels participate in some sort of loyalty rewards program. Loyalty rewards programs may be specific to a single hotel, may be implemented across a chain of hotels, or may extend to a group of partnered businesses. Typically, members who occasionally stay (or fly, or purchase, etc.) with a business involved in the program will qualify for rewards at a basic loyalty tier (e.g., gold level membership). Members who frequently patronize involved businesses, or who pay for an upgraded membership, will qualify for rewards at a higher loyalty tier (e.g., platinum level membership).