In Room Entertainment

[Tonio]

Hello All, I am new here! My family and I are going to open a Bed & Breakfast this coming April and we are currently planning all the few bits. We were wondering what kind of in room entertainment do guests usually use (i they use them at all), I worked in hotels and they all had the TV's which would usually have the international channels, radio channels and on demand movies, obviously we would not be able to afford this . We are situated in Malta which is a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean, the cable here is a bit expensive and the basic channels only have Maltese channels, Italian channels and Euronews which I don't think are usefull for tourists unless they're Italian. Instead of cable we were thinking of getting normal LED TV's and buy Chrome cast for each of them, this way they will be able to watch all of the movies and tv shows on Netflix (we were also thinking of getting a Netflix account which we can share) or view some channels on film on from their phones, what do you think? Has any one tried this set up? Thanks in advance!

 

[Highlands John]

Unless I completely misunderstood Chrome, it doesn't run apps like netflix, you run the app/watch the movie on your phone/tablet and you send it to chrome which displays it on the TV. In other words the guest would need a device and netflix account on their own device, unless you supply the device, which to my mind is completely impractical.
That's why I went for Roku sticks. I installed them in the spring when our broadband was upgraded to 50mb, how much is it used? I've had no feedback from guests at all about it, -ve or +ve. Maybe now we're into darker evenings they might get used more!
I really should add the question onto my in room questionnaire.

 

[Generic]

HJ is correct, you need a smart tv to have them use your netflix account. Chromecast won't do. You should look at either smart TVs or Android boxes like the MXQ Pro.

 

[Arks]

In one room have an Internet-connected "smart TV" that lets people access Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, etc. over the Internet. For all my other TVs I got Internet-connected Roku units that let them do the same thing. The new "Roku Express" units are very affordable, and simple for guests to use.
May not be available where you live, but here, if you sign up with Sling ($25/month) and pay the first 3 months in advance, they give you a Roku free. Sling is almost like having cable TV, but just uses your Internet connection to provide regular TV shows, movies, sports, etc.

 

[Highlands John]

HJ is correct, you need a smart tv to have them use your netflix account. Chromecast won't do. You should look at either smart TVs or Android boxes like the MXQ Pro..

HJ is correct, you need a smart tv to have them use your netflix account. Chromecast won't do. You should look at either smart TVs or Android boxes like the MXQ Pro.

Sorry, that's not what HJ said, you don't need a smart TV, just a standard TV and a Roku stick which you can get for around £30 on Ebay. To use it though your TV will need an HDMI slot, and it makes it a lot easier if it has a USB slot for power, otherwise you'll have to run a separate lead to power the Roku, not a problem if the TV is on the side, mine are wall mounted so that means another wire down the wall. I'm also not very comfortable with having transformers in guest rooms which are on all the time.

 

[Tonio]

Hello Everyone thanks for your suggestions! Unfortunately Smart TVs are still expensive to buy here when compared to standard HD TVs but I have checked out Roku and it is way better and simpler than chrome cast at least that way I would not have to give my username and password for Netflix and it comes with a remote which is way easier than controlling the device from a smartphone. Unfortunately Sling is not available outside of the US but Netflix should do and it also has some other apps which are useful! Thanks again for your help!

 

[Anon Inn]

Hello Everyone thanks for your suggestions! Unfortunately Smart TVs are still expensive to buy here when compared to standard HD TVs but I have checked out Roku and it is way better and simpler than chrome cast at least that way I would not have to give my username and password for Netflix and it comes with a remote which is way easier than controlling the device from a smartphone. Unfortunately Sling is not available outside of the US but Netflix should do and it also has some other apps which are useful! Thanks again for your help!.

We operate very similar to your proposal. We no longer say 'Nflicks' on our website, we say a 'online movie service'.

 

[Lee2014]

Welcome! This is the best place for new innkeepers to be! So grab a chair and your favorite snack, and make yourself at home!

 

[TheBeachHouse]

Hello Everyone thanks for your suggestions! Unfortunately Smart TVs are still expensive to buy here when compared to standard HD TVs but I have checked out Roku and it is way better and simpler than chrome cast at least that way I would not have to give my username and password for Netflix and it comes with a remote which is way easier than controlling the device from a smartphone. Unfortunately Sling is not available outside of the US but Netflix should do and it also has some other apps which are useful! Thanks again for your help!.

We operate very similar to your proposal. We no longer say 'Nflicks' on our website, we say a 'online movie service'.
.

Our guests are lucky to get a TV! When we moved in, there were no TVs. We installed them. They get the new, local sports and the history channel.

 

[Tonio]

Welcome! This is the best place for new innkeepers to be! So grab a chair and your favorite snack, and make yourself at home!.

Thank you very much! I have already browsed the forum a bit!

 

[Tonio]

Welcome! This is the best place for new innkeepers to be! So grab a chair and your favorite snack, and make yourself at home!.

Thank you very much! I have already browsed the forum a bit!

 

[lucas]

Cinema Box is the best choice to play movies. Thousands of movies are available in cinema box application. You can chrome cast this on your Tv. This is one of the best options for in-room entertainment. I use this most of the times. So, I suggest you all give it a try. You can download cinema Box from its official site.
Thank You.