Marriott selects LG Electronics as partner for smart platform upgrade

Collaboration expands beyond hotel TVs to full hotel technology platform

Remote device monitoring to enhance guest convenience

Kwak Do-young (right), LG Electronics executive vice president and North America regional head, and Drew Pinto, Marriott International's chief technology officer and chief revenue officer, sign a strategic MOU at Marriott's headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland. [LG Electronics]
Kwak Do-young (right), LG Electronics executive vice president and North America regional head, and Drew Pinto, Marriott International's chief technology officer and chief revenue officer, sign a strategic MOU at Marriott's headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland. [LG Electronics]

LG Electronics is teaming up with global hotel chain Marriott International to develop a content and service platform built around hotel TVs.

The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding at Marriott's headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, to advance in-room entertainment and technology platforms, they announced Wednesday.

The signing ceremony was attended by senior executives from both sides, including Kwak Do-young, LG Electronics executive vice president and North America regional head, and Drew Pinto, Marriott's chief technology officer and chief revenue officer.

Under the agreement, LG Electronics will expand its collaboration with Marriott beyond hotel TVs to encompass a broader hotel technology platform. The companies plan to jointly develop a cloud platform and provide integrated device management and operational technology support for guest rooms.

The new platform will be rolled out first across 40 hotels in the United States and Canada, then extended progressively to Marriott's global hotel brands.

The two companies expect the partnership to improve hotel operational efficiency and maintenance, while delivering more convenient and personalized in-room content to guests.

Under the previous setup, each hotel ran its in-room entertainment system through individually installed servers and set-top boxes. A cloud-based platform will allow integrated monitoring of devices across all properties worldwide and enable remote updates of content and applications.

Guests will be able to use LG hotel TVs in their rooms to watch live broadcasts and streaming content, as well as easily control room functions such as temperature and lighting.

LG Electronics plans to keep expanding its smart hotel infrastructure business, which spans in-room entertainment, device management and smart services, going well beyond the supply of hotel TVs.

The company currently provides global hotels with its LG ProCentric platform, optimized for in-room environments, along with webOS, its proprietary TV and display operating system.

"We will continue to introduce innovative total solutions for the future smart hotel by combining our differentiated hotel TV product competitiveness with cloud and webOS platform capabilities," said Min Dong-sun, head of LG Electronics' Media Solution Business Division.


joze@heraldcorp.com