Nevaya, the hospitality guest experience SaaS company, has entered a global agreement with Google to provide Chromecast devices in hotel rooms.
The partnership will allow guests to quickly and securely stream their content (for example from their Netflix account on their own mobile device) to in-room TVs during their stay, while hotels will simultaneously save money (on purchasing content for their TV system) and also drive ancillary revenue (via room-service and F&B spending).
Under the terms of the agreement, the Nevaya Cloud platform is certified by Google for the use of Chromecast in hospitality (hotels, student accommodation, assisted/senior living and cruise ships etc). Nevaya helps the hospitality industry give its guests a better digital experience, including TV control, in-room dining via the guest mobile device, WiFi authentication and an Open API for integration to other systems.
Michiel van Eldik, GM/VP EMEA Devices & Services at Google, said, “We are delighted to be working with Nevaya to deliver a cloud-based in room hospitality solution using Google Chromecast devices for casting. We are excited to support our hospitality partners in delivering a feature-rich and secure entertainment experience to their guests, as we look to travel more again in 2022.”
James Richmond, CEO of Nevaya, said: “Only about 5% of hotel rooms in the world currently enable streaming onto their TVs. Linear TV (sometimes called terrestrial TV) is increasingly being replaced by streaming of channels/services, and hotels are now looking to match or better the experience a guest would have at home. This new partnership between Nevaya and Google means that hotels are now able to provide the reliable experience that guests want – endorsed by the technology behemoth.
“Our casting service can slot into almost any TV or network. Hotels can then also postpone the high cost of installing Smart TVs in every room. We're seeing over 30% of guests using the service on a daily basis, and while they’re using it are ordering in-room dining and staying onsite for longer. In addition to higher revenue and improved guest satisfaction, hotels are also saving money on expensive channel subscriptions – guests bring their own content.”
Unlike other casting technologies available to hotels, Nevaya is the only fully SaaS cloud platform, allowing global scalability and removing the need for unreliable onsite servers. And importantly, the technology is more secure having been through Google’s detailed security process, as well as meeting the stringent requirements of ISO27001.
The agreement between the companies will give Google access to the estimated five billion ‘guest-nights’ per year and encourage further adoption of their ecosystem, including smart speakers and smart displays.
Richmond added: “Using our casting platform can give hotel guests a truly seamless experience: one tap and their content appears on the TV without having to re-enter their credentials. We always try to design our systems so that every digital touchpoint for a hotel guest is as friction-free, secure and easy as possible – this is a great step forward for that.”
Nevaya works with hotel groups around the world, including Accor, IHG, Ascott and CitizenM.
