Why the boob tubes?
 

When staying at Hilton properties, all the FS I've stayed at (except Miami) have LCD televisions. I've stayed at exactly two FS Marriotts with LCD televisions.

The hotel I'm in today (MCO) has the old style TV, yet it was remodeled in 2007. I spent last week at another FS property and it was just remodeled and still has the boob tubes.

Why can't Marriott move into 2009? Seeing these old boob tube TVs is disappointing.

I think Marriott tends to move more slowly than other brands, and in 2007, I would have told you this was a good thing.

While other brands were putting in 720p sets, it appeared that Marriott was going to wait for 1080p sets and - hopefully - more HDTV channels.

Then the recession hit, and of course one of the easiest ways to save money on a renovation is to simply keep the tube TVs for a few extra years. Given that TV prices continue to fall, I'm certain that many owners are milking their tube TVs for as long as they can.

The only brand that seems to have done flat screens really right (size, resolution, availability of HD channels) is Hyatt Place, IMO.

I don't get this. What purpose would there be in a hotel waiting, then or now, for 1080P? No television station then, now, or in the reasonable future broadcasts in 1080P. While it's true that Blu-Ray players with a Blu-Ray disc could provide a 1080P signal for a 1080P set, this would be of very little advantage to hotel guests.

The advantage is that the hotel can skip a cycle of buying TVs and wait for an economic recovery before spending money on new ones. Of course, TV prices have stopped dropping in recent months as LCD screen prices have started going up with higher demand for consumer electronics (especially in Asia).

The TVs in the Hyatt Place are nice, but their continental breakfast is more on the line of a FI vs a CY.

Plasmas appear to still be going down.

No different than any delay in capital expenditures. You can do the same thing with carpet or a bathroom fixture. To me, a crt television in an upscale hotel room looks as out of place as an old carpet. And, I would guess that many, if not most, properties that replaced their televisions, did so before the economic turndown.

Agreed. It's like the game "which one does not belong", the room is nice in every way except the black boob tube monstrosity. I hope that the hotels replace them all in the next year or two. This factor is enough to change my loyalty.

Well, I was referring to the ones who have not done it yet in terms of waiting for an economy recovery. Credit is tight for many businesses, and I don't think you will see too many hotel franchisees get a thumbs up from their accountants for spending money on new TVs or any large capital expenditure while RevPAR and occupancy rates are in the dumps. It is cheaper for now to put some plasma/LCD TVs in the bar/restaurant/lobby area and potentially attract some customers who might order some food and drink while watching a sports event. Some hotel properties (mainly non-Marriott ones) have actually defaulted on their mortgages.

I have not seen any FS Marriott properties changing their TVs in the past year (out of the roughly 15-20 that I tend to stay with or know somewhat well, which do not have LCD TVs now). Probably about 20-30 % of the FS properties in the DC area have LCD screens in all rooms. Some of the newer CYs and RIs also have at least one in each room (along with an older TV for the RIs that have 2 TVs). I have yet to see any Marriott, Hyatt or Hilton property buy plasma TVs for typical hotel rooms (not including presidential or other large suites). Plasma is more economical for larger sizes (over 45"), which is bigger than what most properties put in their regular rooms.

But some broadcast in 1080i. And the pixel size is going to be more coarse on a 720 set than a 1080 set. But it's more idle speculation on my part than anything else.

I think in today's environment, the overwhelming reason for waiting is - there is no money for renovations. Time and again, posters in these forums underestimate just how serious the recession is in the hospitality industry.

It's a little different. Carpets are custom; TV's are not. When choosing to replace carpet, you have to get interior designers involved, and there are hundreds if not thousands of colors, patterns, weaves, material specifications, etc. to go through before getting to the brass tacks of ordering carpet. Same with bathroom fixtures (which often also involve carpentry work).

With a TV, there are only about 10 choices that work for hospitality and generally only LG, Panasonic and Philips are supplying hotels. You choose a brand and a size and swap. So the lead time to do TV replacements is relatively short compared to the lead time for carpet or hard goods.

Because of this, some carpet and hard goods renovations were probably "in the pipeline" and couldn't be stopped in 2008 when everyone came to realize that the recession was severe. But often TV orders can be intercepted, delayed, transferred to another customer, or canceled.

Since most of the properties of the chains that do have the newer tvs still haven't got the ratio sorted - ie, people's faces stretc-h-h-h-ed across the screen, in those instances I'd actually prefer the older ones ;) :D

Cheers.

I am currently staying at the Cincinnati Marriott North. The TVs are LCD flat screen _and_ there is hi-def programming for the local and some cable channels! Good show. Literally. ^^

Of course, the Hampton Inn where I stayed last week had it as well. :rolleyes:

I was staying at one hotel last year where they were in the construction process of rolling out HD to their rooms. In order to support the pay-per-porn, the wiring was extensive and bulky and it all terminated in a room filled with server-like equipment. It didn't look cheap to build.

It is inconceivable to me that any hotel property made the decision; "let's wait until we can get 1081i". First, there is widespread disagreement as to which provides a better picture between the interlaced 1080i and the progressive 720p, to the extent that a human eye can even tell the difference. Some people argue that 720p is better for fast action such as sports, while 1080i is better for detail like the Discovery Channel. Second, the tiny difference, if any, would be further negated by the relatively small size of the usual 32" or 37" set in a hotel room. Third, whether 720p or1080i set would have a marginally better picture would possibly depend on whether the original signal was 1080i or 720p ( ABC, Fox, and ESPN in 720P; NBC and CBS in 1080i). But then the set top box used at hotels might convert the signal anyway, negating the difference. If you're not bored by now, here's an older thread in the AVS forum in which techies debate the difference. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/archi.../t-775833.html

The ratio problem on some channels is frequently caused by the property's failure to provide high definition channels, which would automatically come in at the proper ratio on wide-screen sets.

As in all of these money/economy debates in various threads, each property/brand has to weigh the savings versus the impact. How much revenue, short-term and long-term, will be lost versus how much savings will be generated. Some properties, I'm sure, are just worried about how to pay this month's bills. I would guess/hope that Marriott corporate would also factor in the long term impact of such decisions on the brands.

By the way, I think that any Renaissance or Marriott fs property that hadn't updated their televisions prior to the economic turndown was already late to the game.