LG Electronics to Build Next-Generation Smart Hotels with Marriott International

[Financial News] LG Electronics is joining forces with Marriott International to build next-generation smart hotels. The company plans to expand its business into the hotel digital infrastructure market by broadening its cooperation beyond hotel TVs to hotel technology platforms and establishing itself as a market leader. 
LG Electronics and Marriott International announced on the 2nd that they signed an MOU at Marriott International’s headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, on the 25th of last month local time, to upgrade in-room entertainment and technology platforms.
Executives from both companies attended the signing ceremony, including Kwack Do-yeong, vice president and LG Electronics’ North America representative, and Drew Pinto, Marriott International’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Chief Revenue Officer (CRO).
Marriott International is upgrading its platform so hotel TVs can provide guests with customized content and services. Under the agreement, LG Electronics will work with Marriott International on joint platform development, device management and operational technology support.
Specifically, Marriott International will set the platform’s service direction based on its customer experience (UX), hotel operations expertise and global technology infrastructure. LG Electronics will be responsible for developing the cloud platform, integrating and managing in-room devices, and providing operational technology support.
LG Electronics and Marriott International plan to introduce the new platform first at 40 hotels in the United States and Canada, then expand it sequentially across Marriott International’s global hotel brands.
Through the partnership, LG Electronics and Marriott International aim to significantly improve hotel operating efficiency and maintenance convenience while providing guests with a more convenient and personalized in-room content experience. 
Hotel operators will be able to use cloud-based management tools to monitor device status in an integrated manner, from individual room TVs to entire hotels and global portfolios. They will also be able to update content and apps remotely. Previously, hotel room entertainment systems were operated using servers and set-top boxes built separately for each hotel. Cloud-based platforms enable the remote, integrated management of in-room devices, making it easier to update content and software and monitor device status.
Guests staying at hotels equipped with the upgraded platform will be able to watch live broadcasts and over-the-top (OTT) content on LG hotel TVs in their rooms, while also easily controlling room functions such as temperature and lighting.
Building on the partnership, LG Electronics plans to continue expanding its business as a leader in the hotel digital infrastructure market, covering in-room entertainment, device management and smart services. LG Electronics already provides global hotels with optimized solutions, including its hotel TV lineup such as LG OLED TV, the LG Pro:Centric platform, and webOS, its proprietary operating system for TVs and displays.
Min Dong-seon, head of the ID Division at LG Electronics’ MS Business Division, said, "By combining our differentiated hotel TV product competitiveness with cloud and webOS platforms, we will continue introducing innovative total solutions for the smart hotels of the future." 
[email protected] Park So-hyeon Reporter