DirecTV Inks Deal With Hilton Hotels

DirecTV said Monday it has reached an agreement to provide advanced television services to more than 500,000 Hilton Hotel rooms across the country.

The new agreement makes DirecTV a preferred television supplier for in-room entertainment at Hilton Worldwide properties. The two companies are also making future plans to enable members of Hilton HHonors,  the guest loyalty program for Hilton Worldwide’s ten hotel brands, to earn free stays or HHonors points when they sign up for qualifying DirecTV service at home.

Guests will be able to find the new offering at participating Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton properties in the U.S. this year.

The new relationship gives Hilton guests:

  •  Access to DirecTV programming (more than 160 HD channels and premium sports and movie content offered at special prices);
  • The continued rollout of DirecTV’s Residential Experience platform, which allows room guest to access the same channel lineup as home customers, an interactive programming guide branded with the hotel logo and a simplified , anti-microbial remote designed to make searching for shows easier. The platform is currently installed in more than 220 Hilton Worldwide properties nationwide and will continue to be rolled out across the U.S.;
  •  Significantly reduced per-channel costs, enabling hotels to affordably offer more HD channels;
  • More efficient technologies reducing power consumption to further support LightStay™, Hilton Worldwide’s proprietary initiative improving sustainability measurement and performance at properties around the world.

“Today’s guests expect a high-quality in-room HDTV experience that offers greater variety,” said Hilton Worldwide vice president, brand and guest technology Josh Weiss in a statement. “We are excited to be delivering the entertainment options that our guests want and an enriching experience through this new offering from DirecTV.”

Launched in 2011, the DirecTV Residential Experience has been one of the fastest adopted guest viewing technologies in hospitality, the company said. .

“By uniting two of the strongest brands in television and hospitality, we are creating a first-of-its-kind strategic hotel TV relationship that sets a new standard for guest entertainment,” said DirecTV senior vice president of sales Michael Wittrock in a statement. “Hotel guests will benefit greatly from this ground-breaking deal that is a result of much hard work between DirecTV and Hilton Worldwide.”