4 minute read
PARTNERSHIP: STAR QUALITY
STAR QUALITY
Foxtel’s recent partnership with The Star Grand Brisbane has set the standard for the premium in-room entertainment experience throughout the group.
It was a chance meeting over networking drinks at the Asia Pacific Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition (AHICE) in 2022 that was the start of a great working relationship between Foxtel Business and The Star Grand Brisbane.
Now, following the successful integration of Foxtel Business across all 340 guest rooms at the recently opened five-star hotel, The Star Entertainment Group is set to roll out the technology next at The Star Residences Gold Coast Tower 2, with more expected to follow.
“We just bumped into each other and started talking,” said Foxtel Business National Manager for Accommodation, Scott Wiedemann, of his first meeting with The Star Brisbane General Manager of Hotels, Rikesh Rajakulasingham.
“Rikesh had a genuine desire to enhance the in-room experience for his guests; he didn’t want to put the expectation on guests to bring their own content.”
Several demonstrations later with a number of The Star stakeholders, and following testing at a mock guest room, the installation process got underway, with a tight deadline of an August 29 opening looming.
A project of this size would typically take five weeks to install; Foxtel delivered it in just 2.5 weeks, navigating various challenges in the preopening stage to ensure that the system was up and running seamlessly for the arrival of guests.
“Scott and their dedicated technicians went above and beyond during the installation process, which shows the value that Foxtel offers its customers,” Rikesh said.
“Despite having our fair share of challenges, as you would expect at this stage of a major project like this, they rose to the challenge and got it done.”
SATISFIED GUESTS
Ensuring guest satisfaction is the top priority for Rikesh and his team, and this was no different when it came to upgrading the in-room entertainment experience at the hotel.
Rikesh said it was important to have a fully integrated system that offered guests live television, a wide selection of sport, video on demand, and the ability to cast easily from their device, should they wish to continue watching a particular show they have been enjoying at home.
It was essential that it operates seamlessly.
“Guests have a high bar for their in-room entertainment system at a five-star property – it needs to be better than what they have at home,” Rikesh said.
“With in-room televisions, you only tend to hear from guests if they are having difficulties – and we have yet to hear from them which is testament to how seamless the technology is.”
Foxtel Business informs its hotel partners about guest engagement with the platform through detailed analytics reports, something that gives Rikesh a greater understanding of what guests want.
“We find that not a lot of guests are casting, and that’s a direct correlation to the quality of the content available.
“They tend to cast if there is nothing on TV, but if they have access to the premium library of content and live sport like Foxtel provides, they don’t often cast.”
‘ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES’
Beyond entertainment, Foxtel Business iQ (BiQ) provides a platform to directly inform guests about various products and services on offer and ultimately drive revenue through increased transactions – whether it’s in-room dining, restaurant bookings or spa treatments.
The Star Grand Brisbane has used it to promote events for Melbourne Cup and for the sale of Christmas hampers, as well as to run a time-lapse video of the precinct construction.
“There are endless possibilities with customising our own channels,” he said.
“BiQ PMS integration allows us to push real-time onscreen messages to all rooms or a selection of rooms or all rooms within the same group.
“For in-room dining, we have QR codes that are specific to each room, so that guests don’t need to input the room number.”
By removing the need for guests to input room numbers, personal information and passwords, guests can safely enjoy content and services without any cyber security risks.
