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By Alison Maxson
PPDS

A vacation that feels like home: More than 200 Philips MediaSuite TVs have transformed the TV entertainment experience for guests in all 140 plus Beach Haus luxury apartment-styled suites, delivering seamless access to the world’s most popular streaming and entertainment services while adding extensive time and cost savings to the daily running of the property.

PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips professional displays, is excited to announce its exclusive range of Chromecast built-in Philips MediaSuite 4K TVs, have been selected and installed inside Miami’s luxury Beach Haus Bal Harbour vacation residence, delivering ultimate all-inclusive entertainment experiences to guests, together with immediate cost efficiencies.

Located along Miami’s world famous sandy beaches, in the affluent and upscale village of Bal Harbour, the Beach Haus – spaced over three buildings – goes beyond a traditional hotel, with spacious living suites, full kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms, complete with all the amenities found at home. With guest stays ranging from a few days to a few months, the TV plays a vital role in achieving its ‘A vacation that feels like home’ promise.

As part of a major modernization project, replacing the existing, cumbersome entertainment TV setup , which had resulted in poor guest experiences and negative feedback – Beach Haus teamed with PPDS and hotel solution specialist, Hospitality1, working side-by-side throughout the entire process – before, during and post installation – integrating more than 200 Philips MediaSuite TVs in the living room (65”) and bedroom areas (55”) across all three Beach Haus Bal Harbour complexes.

“At Beach Haus, we do not compromise on quality or experience,” commented Walter DeFortuna, owner of Beach Haus. “We want guests to enter our units and feel like they have never left home. We did a lot of research in the market to find the right solution, and that’s when we discovered Philips MediaSuite from PPDS.

“When Walter reached out about needing a new solution that was modern and intuitive for his guests, we suggested researching Philips MediaSuite,” added Dhar Patel, owner of Hospitality 1, a direct hotel supplier. The Philips MediaSuite TV is the only solution in the US market that we have found which allows guests to cast their apps without any additional equipment. So far, we have had extraordinary success with this product because it is turn-key for the owners, and we knew it would be for the Beach Haus as well.”

Philips MediaSuite TVs were the standout choice, as it’s the first dedicated hospitality TV designed exclusively to provide enhanced in-room guest experiences. It offers a seamless and natural transition, similar to how guests access all their favorite TV channels and streaming platforms at home, with no additional hardware or subscription requirements.

Cast your eyes on this!

Philips MediaSuite TVs provide a night and day contrast to the previous setup. All unsightly and unsecured third-party USB solutions plugged into the previous TVs are no longer required. Philips MediaSuite is the world’s first dedicated hospitality TV to feature Chromecast built-in technology and security.

Phiilips MediaSuite puts the guest in complete control of their entertainment experience. Connected securely to the Beach Haus Wi-Fi, guests can now select from their favorite providers – such as Netflix®, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Apple TV+, Paramount+, Spotify – using their own device (tablets, phones, laptops) and personal accounts, and stream in up to 4K directly onto the big screen in a couple of clicks. This is a stark contrast to the previous set up, which required a frustrating four to five-step login process, resulting in an often poor guest experience and negative feedback. The inclusion of Chromecast built-in also eliminates the vulnerability of external devices, which were susceptible to theft and tampering, as well as reducing maintenance and replacement costs.

Running on the ever-updating Android TV OS, Beach Haus guests also benefit from having secure access to thousands of apps via Google Play, including popular services such as local news, weather, games, YouTube, plus secure voice control capabilities via Google Voice*. Philips MediaSuites also feature Netflix-ready functionality, embedded on the TV, allowing guests to immediately pick up shows and movies exactly where they left off on their accounts.

Beach Haus was previously paying several monthly subscriptions to provide a comparable list of channels and services to guests, which are now no longer needed, saving significant monthly costs.

Julian Verlarde, General Manager at Beach Haus, commented, “The inclusion of Chromecast built-in solves so many obstacles faced by both ourselves and our guests. Times have changed and each guest has their own preference on how they wish to enjoy their favorite TV shows and movies. They don’t want to be restricted. With Chromecast built-in to Philips MediaSuite TVs, they are in complete control of their experience. This is night and day to anything we’ve seen before.”

Safe and secure remote management

The inclusion of Philips MediaSuite has resulted in instant time and cost efficiencies, a savings valued at more than $10,000 a year.

With the previous solution of USB devices designed for consumer use at home and not for a commercial property, and security of customer data of paramount importance, Beach Haus staff had to ensure a lengthy process of manually deleting all data and resetting all accounts accessed on each TV upon a guest’s departure – a process that could add up to two hours per day for staff when turning around rooms for new guests.

With Philips MediaSuite, all actions can now be managed entirely remotely, with guest data immediately deleted and disconnected upon their departure, saving more than 730 hours annually, and speeding up suite turnaround times.

In addition, all software updates and general troubleshooting of Beach Haus TVs can now be managed and controlled entirely remotely via PPDS’ single, intuitive platform – Philips CMND. TVs are also fully customized and branded, with Beach Haus now able to easily tailor each TV to the apartment and guest. This includes individual languages, marketing or messaging, Beach Haus services (bicycle rental, housekeeping, parking, beach chairs), local information (bars, restaurants, shops), or customizing screens to celebrate a specific occasion, such as a birthday or anniversary.

In keeping with Beach Haus’ and PPDS’ focus on sustainability, Philips MediaSuite TVs have also been designed for long-term use. The Android platform allows TVs to be updated with the latest features and functionalities as and when they become available. This ensures Beach Haus TVs provide a consistent performance in every room while remaining relevant longer and extending product lifetimes for increased sustainability. Updates can be scheduled and installed on all or individual displays entirely remotely, during a convenient time, such as when a room is vacant, to avoid disruptions.

Joe King, VP of hospitality, North America at PPDS said: “We understood that Beach Haus were getting very frustrated using multiple providers to get the solution they desired. With Philips MediaSuite, it’s one solution, all contained in one TV, and from a single vendor. That’s unique and something we’re very proud of.”

DeFortuna added, “The most important thing for us is that our guests love it… and they do. If a guest loves something, then we have return on investment, as people will come back repeatedly and will refer us to their friends and family. The support we received from PPDS was like nothing we had experienced before, from the initial order to a seamless installation and after-care, and we’re delighted by the results.”

To learn more about PPDS, please visit the website here, or contact your local PPDS sales manager.