Dead, dead, dead I say. Keep reading to find out why we think the hotel TV is dead.

After having checked in to your hotel and entering the keycard into the door, you step in. Everything has been cleaned and ironed to perfection with special attention to detail in the bed and bathroom.

However there remains one item in the room that hasn’t been changed since 2016. The now ‘semi flat’ screen.

A forgotten item

The hotel tv is pretty inoffensive. It sits there waiting for the person who’s phone or laptop isn’t working. Or perhaps their devices are working but they need some background noise to concentrate. It offers nostalgia value to shows we used to watch, CNN or BBC News.

Many have predicted the end of teresstrial television in peoples homes with the rise of streaming services. The likes of Netflix, Amazon prime and Paramount at our finger tips means all our favourite shows are logged in to our private devices. Surely the same is happening in hotels. Could we not just access our accounts through the hotel tv and watch it on larger screen? Yes but that runs the risk of leaving the hotel with your account still logged in.

The hotel TV is an ageing item

Electronics are evolving a faster pace that ever before. Every year tech companies celebrate the latest enhancement to their products with additional features. Meanwhile the hotel tv remains static. The device you hold in your hand may be light years ahead of a tv from just 5 years ago. A nice room with the perfect bathroom and facilities may be brought down by a old tv sitting in the middle of the room. It says to guests, this rooms design hasn’t been considered in a long time. The hotel TV is certainly not something we look for in our digital nomad accommodation.

Leave entertainment to individuals

Hotels should leave the entertainment to the large companies supplying the portable devices like our phones and tablets and focus on the nitty gritty. You are unlikely to find a hotel review that loved the hotel but thought the tv in the room was inadequate and wont be retuning for that reason.

It can also be said that in families and groups we may want to watch different things. Someone wants to watch the news, another a period drama. With that being said a main screen for everyone is redundant.

Hotel TV is bad for guests

An argument could be made that we spend too much time looking at screens. We often don’t allow children to have tvs in their bedrooms as it leads to mindless watching from the bed. Well the hotel room is no different and encourages this behaviour. Would we not be better with a stroll around the hotel or a small night cap at the bar with a few words to the barman?

Soaring energy costs make hotel TVs expensive

It’s 2022 and energy prices are sky high. Hotels may reduce their energy bills by simply not having TVs in rooms. Will customers miss them? I don’t think so.

What could go in place of the tv?

Rather than thinking about the space the tv leaves behind, better to think about what guests truly desire from hotels. The following come high in guests wants.

• Quiet (inside and out)
• Strong WiFi
• Access to outdoor space
• Adequate number of plugs
• Comfort

However if hotels were going to fill the space…. Art, a larger fridge/freezer? We are not sure.

Let us know if you think we have this one right and the hotel tv is dead? Love to hear your comments below.

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