Menlo Park, CA–Pacific Media Associates, a global market information research firm focused on large-screen displays, reports that flat-panel televisions for the hospitality market in the Americas accounted for 29 percent of unit sales of all professional displays 30 inches or larger in 2006. This proportion is forecast to swell to 40 percent in 2007.
The hospitality segment is gaining importance in the professional flat-panel market, according to Rosemary Abowd, Pacific Media Associates vice president. For the moment, a plasma or LCD HDTV is still a competitive advantage for the premier properties, but guests will soon come to expect it as a standard amenity, much like broadband Internet access.
Unit sales of in-room hospitality HDTVs increased 17 percent from 2005 to 2006, and are forecast to grow another 23 percent this year. The forecast for 2008 calls for nearly a one-third increase over this years sales.
These figures only includes models 30 inches or larger, equipped for in-room entertainment. In its coverage of the professional flat-panel market, Pacific Media includes other hospitality applications such as digital signage or public video displays, which are increasingly popular in hotels and sports arenas.
Hotel and motel properties in the lower tiers are using smaller screen sizes in their rooms,” Abowd noted. These installations are more price sensitive, and often use standard consumer models without any of the extra in-room hospitality features such as pay-per-view. These applications will also result in significantly more sales in the coming years.
