While we love Macs, our first question was why rip out the televisions?

Will Oakley explained: "I don’t personally enjoy going into a room where the television is the focal point. The way we’re designing rooms here it means that aesthetically it doesn’t overpower the space in the room." There are practical reasons as well though: "the quality of the screen is as good as any 50in plasma screen you can buy."

Replacing a television with a computerised system is an obvious choice for many hoteliers. And we’ve seen many hotel televisions moving beyond simply screening television shows. "Another most important thing was the fact that I could use the system to communicate with the guests in a way that we are used to today, which is over your computers," explained Will Oakley, "there are various marketing opportunities within all that, but the thought-process is that we can be quickly reactive."

For example, if the hotel has a number of visitors attending a nearby conference they can use the Macs to deliver information regarding travel and the event agenda. "It allows us to in some shape or form promote other businesses in the area" said Will Oakley, "or we can have a direct link into London Bridge railway times, for example, so our customers can plan their journey."

As for why the Bermondsey Square Hotel choose a Mac over a PC, you only have to visit the hotel to get a feel for what kind of computer fits in with its stylish decor. "There’s an immediate quality aspect." [...]

"The market we’re drawing on is a young professional market. It’s a BlackBerry, iPhone, and Apple Mac driven market. Obviously brand loyalty and brand recognition plays a big part in the decision to place Macs here."
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"Overall it was a much bigger investment" said Will Oakley, "but at the end of the day it’s a computer system. If the programs not there today, it can be there tomorrow or next week because we can have it bespoke written for us." [...]

"Fundamentally hoteliers want to deliver a bedroom that is better than the one you have at home. And there’s very little that you can do nowadays that you can’t have at home. By using the Mac TV system with the high spec shower and mattress: there are three things your guests might not have at home. The wow factor is there. There’s a perception of quality as soon as someone’s walked in and you know they’ll have a great time."

You can find the full interview here.