DISH_APS_May2025 REVISED

The hospitality industry is experiencing a shift in traveler habits and demographics, with new trends surfacing almost daily. From ‘‘staycations’’ to ‘‘bleisure’’ travelers to ‘‘hurkle-durkle’’ and everything in between, keeping up with preferences is table stakes. How can hoteliers use technology to create new revenue opportunities while still enhancing the guest experience? What is clear is that a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer enough. There is a growing need for tailored experiences that cater to distinct preferences—regardless of what the next trend could be. Dive in to find out how to cater to today’s travelers with key technology investments that boost revenue potential.

For hoteliers, knowing who their guests are means keeping a pulse on what types of travelers are trending. This can be a tall order, considering how quickly it changes. For example, business and luxury travel remain strong areas of growth, while domestic travel and staycations continue to surge. Regardless of the trend, hotels can meet the needs of different traveler types through smart technology and digital innovations.

Guest Expectations Are Shifting: Here's How to Meet Demands

“Balancing technological innovation with personalized service will be key to delivering exceptional guest experiences and fostering long-term loyalty.” — HT

noun A getaway taken close to home where travelers opt for local hotels and nearby attractions instead of venturing abroad, offering the ease of minimal travel with the comfort and excitement of a hotel stay.

Staycation [ stey-key-shuhn ]

Bleisure

Elevate the TV Experience to Meet Next-Gen Guest Demands

How hotels can drive more revenue with the right digital investments

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noun "Bleisure" is a portmanteau of "business" and "leisure" that describes a trend where business travelers extend their trips to include leisure activities or personal time, essentially combining work and vacation.1

Bleisure [ BLEE-zhur ]

Hurkle-Durkle

Sources: 1. Wikipedia, “Bleisure travel”, 2. Sleep Foundation, “What Does the Hurkle-Durkle TikTok Trend Do for Your Sleep?”, 3. McKinsey, “The way we travel now”, 4. Wikipedia, “Travel influencer”, 5. HT, “Unlock the power of customization and limitless entertainment”, 6. HT, “2024 Customer Engagement Study”, 7. HT, “2025 Lodging Technology Study”.

noun A 200-year-old Scottish term for lounging in bed when you should be up. For today’s travelers, it might mean seeking a hotel with plush beds, blackout curtains, and endless in-room entertainment options.2

Hurkle-Durkle [ HUR-kul DUR-kul ]

Premium Traveler

noun The frequent “premium traveler” is especially selective about accommodations—they, on average, are more likely than travelers overall to care about brand, prestige, exclusivity, design, decor, amenities, and sustainability.3

Premium Traveler

Travel Influencer

noun A “travel influencer” is an Internet celebrity who creates social media content about travel, tourism, and culture, usually sharing their travel experiences.4

Travel Influencer

Staycation

Catering to the Next-Gen Traveler: What Guests Want

● Sell advertising ● Increase bookings for paid amenities ● Attract and upsell group bookings

Business and “bleisure” travelers require not just Wi-Fi but high-quality, seamless connectivity for remote work and virtual meetings.

of respondents consider reliable and secure Wi-Fi as a crucial factor in their decision to book a hotel.6

Modern travelers—especially younger generations—have higher expectations when it comes to convenience, personalization, and digital connectivity. To remain competitive, hotels must use technology strategically to enhance the guest experience across all traveler segments.

of Gen Zers say they splurge on experiences, compared with only 29% of baby boomers.3

Guests want self-serve options, like being able to see what amenities a hotel has or property details without calling the front desk.

agree that they're more likely to stay at a hotel that offers self-service technology to minimize contact with the staff and other guests.5

The Power of Customization Driving Revenue

OnStream allows hotels to build a custom user interface, complete with logos, color schemes, and background images. The depth of customization options is endless:

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“With the new technology, when a guest walks in and the TV says, ‘Welcome Mr. Williams,’ that’s a nice touch. It’s warm and personal. With the same technology, streaming ads or promotional content becomes an added revenue source for the property." — Sanjay Patel, President, Baron Hospitality

Exploring Technology Investments: What Hoteliers Need

While hoteliers are hyper-focused on leveling up the guest experience, they still have their own goals and budgets they need to balance as they explore technology investments that open up additional revenue opportunities.

Hoteliers need secure solutions. In the wake of several prominent hotel data breaches and the consequent public relations and security cleanups required, it is not surprising that enhancing data security tops the list of technology initiatives.

90% of hotelier survey respondents indicated that enhancing data security is either very or extremely important.7

DISH Business automatically clears guest credentials from Netflix upon checkout, enhancing data security.

Hoteliers need systems that integrate and/or invest intelligently. Here are the top challenges cited by hoteliers in the latest HT Lodging Tech survey:7

60% Resistance to technology change in the organization.

SEE HOW DISH BUSINESS HELPS:

Balancing Innovation with Guest Demands: Take Entertainment to the Next Level

Build an Experience that Works for You

Start with live linear TV as your foundation and build up to modern entertainment experiences with flexible technology that works with your existing TVs and wiring.

SMARTBOX2 Bring live TV to every room Trusted to power over 2 million rooms nationwide, SMARTBOX2 technology has redefined the standard for free-to-guest video distribution: • Power live TV across your entire property from a single microwave-sized box • Deliver up to 192 channels of live HDTV, including 4K • Avoid costly rewiring and replacements with technology that is compatible with your existing infrastructure and non-Pro:Idiom TVs

OnStream Elevate in-room experiences and boost revenue OnStream builds on live TV delivered by SMARTBOX2 to power a modern entertainment experience designed for the future of hospitality: • Provide endless entertainment options including live TV, streaming, and casting without switching inputs • Customize your on-screen experiences to support your brand and business goals • Increase revenue and long-term ROI with flexible technology that can be used to sell advertising space, promote paid amenities, and much more

Try our interactive OnStream demo and see how it could work for your property:

Discover What’s Possible With DISH Business: Your Partner in Hospitality

Here’s why leading hospitality brands and hotels of all sizes trust DISH Business:

1 99% signal reliability, based on a nationwide study of our customers

2 100% nationwide coverage

3 24/7 remote monitoring and support

Click for additional details.

Book your demo

Powering over 2 million rooms across all 50 states, we’re the preferred partner for leading hospitality brands and hotels of all sizes. Try our technology at our next event or visit us at HITEC booth #3600 for a custom, hands-on demo.

Try our technology at our next event

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DISH Business works with world-class integrators to ensure your Wi-Fi is future-ready and can support streaming, video conferencing, and more.

See how DISH Business helps:

DISH Business enables hoteliers to sell ad space to local businesses so guests can get the local experiences they crave while hotels earn ad dollars.

See how DISH Business helps:

Create a custom property information hub featuring important property details and amenities that display on guest TVs.

See how DISH Business helps:

One thing is consistent among different types of travelers: the preference towards streaming apps.

of travelers consider smart TVs and content streaming in the guestroom to be a key factor

See how DISH Business helps:

DISH Business delivers cutting-edge hospitality entertainment technology shaped by years of innovation, including HDTV, streaming, and casting.

SEE HOW DISH BUSINESS HELPS:

DISH Business works with existing infrastructures and can create the opportunity for additional ROI from selling ad amenities and advertising local businesses.

Hoteliers need solutions that can be customized to drive revenue. In fact, HT reports that guests are motivated to engage with hotel programs if they include “the potential for savings, convenience, and personalization.”6

SEE HOW DISH Business HELPS:

OnStream allows hotels to build a custom user interface, complete with logos, color schemes, and background images. The depth of customization options is endless: Sell advertising, increase bookings for paid amenities, and attract and upsell group bookings by customizing screens at the room block, common area, and individual guest room level.

55% Difficulty integrating with legacy systems.

54% Inability to derive ROI for technology rollouts.

Just as travelers have different priorities and demands, hotels also have unique goals and needs to satisfy. However, evolving technology to meet guest demands doesn’t require a full rip-and-replace investment.

Here are features to consider when strategically choosing entertainment technology that can present new opportunities to drive revenue while leveling up the guest experience.

Click through:

Make sure it is easily customizable, with a drag-and-drop UI builder that you can customize yourself to sell ad space or easily update paid amenities (versus having someone else do it).

Select technology that doesn’t disrupt your infrastructure. For example, works with existing TVs (including non-Pro:Idiom TVs and dated coax inputs).

Make sure the entertainment technology is easy to update and operate, with features like remote monitoring, automatic updates, and Google Play Store integration to make the newest apps and content available automatically.

Find a technology provider with a solution that flexes to your needs and works with your existing infrastructure to make the transition as seamless as possible. Contact

“Upgrading to DISH significantly enhanced our cable services, offering our guests seamless streaming capabilities, personalized welcome messages, cutting-edge WiFi services, and an impressive channel lineup. As a result, our guests have been thoroughly enjoying these features, and we've noticed a positive impact on reviews and revenue. We're grateful to DISH for resolving our previous issues and elevating our hospitality experience.” — Jigar "Jay" Desai, Red Roof Inn Tucson Downtown University

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Why not utilize something that is already in every room: your guest entertainment?

The DISH Business future-forward technology suite is designed to evolve with guest needs while providing the best value to hoteliers.

Staycation Bleisure Hurkle-Durkle Premium Traveler Travel Influencer

How hotels can drive more revenue through entertainment technology

Hospitality Trends to Watch: (Click through)

The new and improved EVOLVE box bridges technology gaps by working with your existing TVs to power OnStream.

EVOLVE 2 Deliver OnStream using your existing infrastructure The EVOLVE 2 set-back box bridges technology gaps by working with your existing TVs to power streaming, casting, and more through the OnStream platform: • Sleek, low-profile design mounts discreetly behind TVs • Works with non-Pro:Idiom TVs • Backlit Smart Remote with voice control, buttons for popular apps, and other features

52%

73%

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