TV Solution for Hospitality

Client

A major provider of TV-related solutions for the European hospitality market.

Challenge

To create an exclusive TV solution for the hospitality industry.

Solution

1. Concept development

We conducted a series of interviews with the client to analyse their needs and define the product’s shape. We also prepared numerous design sketches and an interactive UX prototype highlighting all the key functions users might need. As a result, we came up with the requirements for creating a software suite featuring the following:

2. Software development

_{Pic 1. High-level software structure}

We have worked through the software architecture of the solution and developed a product with the following features:

1. TV Guest application

• Hotel information (customised centrally in the dashboard)
• Guest services based on PMS (property management systems): guest name, welcome message, billing info, express check-out
• User-friendly template-based GUI and widget-based editing
• TV channels streaming (support pay channels)
• Hotel-related content and offers display
• Custom weather widget
• Flight airport information
• Alarm clock (managed via the dashboard and/or PMS)
• Advertising banners
• Built-in smart TV apps
• Guest mobile device pairing with TV for casting user content
• Multi-language localisation supported. Smart language selection in the TV app per room/guest depending on the user’s preference
• Secure cache implementation

2. Dashboard

• Customisation of hotel information for TV app clients
• Messaging from server to TV Guest apps in selected rooms
• Remote control and monitoring of each TV (TV on/off, firmware updates, TV app upgrades, update splash image, TV configuration)
• Hotels map locator
• Admin dashboard user and role management

3. TV Setup Tool

• Each room TV app was initially set up and consequently re-adjusted using a dedicated mobile app

4. Backend

• API services
• Open API for system integrators
• Secure server-to-server communication to avoid handling security keys via front-end
• Integration of third-party PMS
• Microservice architecture

Tech stack and development peculiarities of the project:

• Node.js/Nest.js
• .NET
• React
• Radix UI
• Kotlin
• Progressive Web App (PWA) features for the dashboard
• ‘Mobile First’ approach for dashboard development
• ‘Offline First’ approach for a TV application
• AWS Cognito for authentication, authorisation, and user management
• Circle CI & AWS used as part of our development environment

Business Value

Our solution can be integrated with hotel property management systems (PMS) to create a comfortable and personalised digital space for every hotel guest.

We offer two different versions of the solution:

• SDK solution (platform) is suitable for system integrators who sell their custom TV apps to hotel chains. They can use our white-label platform to create their apps.
• Embedded solution (out-of-the-box solution). This version is sold directly to hotels. It is a fully functional solution that can be used as-is without any customisation required.