Airwave Europe continues international growth with new acquisition

Great news for Airwave customers, Airwave Europe has now acquired Techlive International and associated companies as part of our team!

Techlive provide movie content and interactive systems to the hospitality sector across Europe and the merge means customers of both companies will benefit from a wider range of high quality products and services.

This transaction adds more prestigious names to Airwave Europe’s client portfolio, including Four Seasons, Marriott, Sheraton, Renaissance, The Landmark, Le Meridien and Crown Plaza, bringing the number of countries supplied worldwide to 30. 

Tim Worrall, Managing Director at Airwave commented “Techlive comes with a great heritage and a wealth of experience in serving the hotel industry internationally for the past 24 years. This acquisition enables the Airwave group to strengthen its position within the market, and both teams are committed to ensuring that respective customers benefit from the new relationship.” 

Techlive has an in-depth knowledge of movie distribution and PMS integration, together with a very solid engineering base that installs and maintains hotel TV systems throughout many different countries. The company has a strategic partnership with Lodgenet Interactive Corporation, the World’s largest TV system provider to the hospitality sector with c1.6 million rooms supplied with content. Existing customers will continue to be serviced via this relationship. 

David Chalk will continue to lead the Techlive team and develop the business as well as joining the management team at Airwave as Technical Director.

Holiday Inn goes green with AirCAST

Holiday Inn London - Stratford City has invested in Airwave’s tailored ‘red-button’ guest information channel for their new 188-room site overlooking the Olympic village. Our ‘AirCAST’ hotel information system provides guests with a dedicated TV channel showing up-to-date information on the hotel, the services available, as well as local information and attractions; all via an easy-to-use, interactive system on their in room TV. 

The system is based on the same interactive TV technology used by broadcasters worldwide and already built into standard TV screens from all major manufacturers. Jane Kendrick, Director of Operations at HI London, Stratford City, comments: “The system eliminates the need for a paper in-room directory, which means there are absolutely no printing costs. We can also update it instantly when we need to make changes. With all the information on screen, Holiday Inn is leading the way with green technology.” 

The AirCAST system has been configured to fit Holiday Inn’s specific branding and content requirements, including corporate video and images. The hotel channel is also an engaging mechanism used to promote additional revenue-generating services to guests, such as in house restaurants and bars. AirCAST utilises standard coaxial-based TV distribution to deliver the service to every in-room television without any additional hardware. The Holiday Inn staff can instantly update content via a web browser.

Movies that span the Globe

Airwave now provides content to hotels, hospitals and marine vessels in 27 countries on 4 continents, with 2,500 new rooms so far in 2012 and over 1,000 rooms due to go live this Summer. Airwave’s new customers are spread as far as Thailand, Serbia, Nigeria, Turkey, Iceland and Austria.

The largest of our new customers, The Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Thailand, is situated on the headland between Jomtien and Pattaya beaches on the east coast of the Gulf. It is a beautiful resort offering four 5-star hotels each with its own distinct style and ambience, amongst 64 acres of tropical gardens and private beaches. Airwave provides Blockbuster Hollywood movies to their 872 rooms in partnership with our local Content Partner in Thailand.

Airwave has also continued to develop our customer base in Australia, France, Germany, Switzerland, the North Sea, as well as the UK with our existing Content Partners. This year in France, Airwave has worked with partner AllContentIPTV to provide Hollywood movies to the prestigious new Mama Shelter hotel in Marseille, which has rooms complete with 27" iMac with TV, radio, internet and free WiFi access as well as the video on demand movies from Airwave.

Airwave provides Crystal Clear Channels for Clarenco

Airwave Europe has been working with Clarenco over the past year to upgrade the TV systems at four of their unusual and unique luxury hotels in remote locations across the UK. 

Clarenco’s Amazing Retreats are lovingly restored properties with unusual character and Airwave has helped bring life back to Spitbank Fort, Plas Rhianfa, Ackergil Tower and Stanbrook Abbey. Airwave installed the latest Samsung satellite Hotel TVs at Plas Rhinfa, Spitbank Fort and Stanbrook Abbey, in conjunction with an IRS system to allow hundreds of satellite channels to be viewed by guests, many in HD. Airwave also upgraded the existing TV cable system at Ackergil to ensure superior digital picture quality to the new TVs installed in all rooms. 

Airwave’s friendly and experienced engineers surveyed the hotels prior to installation and ensured that the televisions were mounted using the most suitable bracket for each location. Edward Clare, Business Development Executive at Clarenco said; “Airwave provided Clarenco with a fantastic level of service from carrying out the surveys to the installation of the TVs in all of our properties”. 

To supplement the in-room entertainment system, Airwave provided Philips DAB Clock Radio Docking Stations for all four sites.

Olympic hotels go for gold with Airwave

Airwave Europe has supplied and installed the televisions for the hotels at the Westfield Centre in Stratford, overlooking the Olympic Village. The Holiday Inn and Staybridge Suites Stratford City opted for the latest Samsung digital LED TVs with inbuilt satellite tuners. These sets are ideal for the Olympic village as they allow international guests access to hundreds of channels in many languages.

Airwave also provided the hotel with networks as well as our very own AirCAST Hotel TV Information System at Holiday Inn, which enables the staff to inform guests about hotel offers and services and local news and information. Management are delighted with the results.


Jane Kendrick, Director of Operations at Holiday Inn London, Stratford City, comments: “Our AirCAST red-button channel has revolutionised the way our hotel operates. The system eliminates the need for a paper in-room directory, which means there are absolutely no printing costs. We can also update it instantly when we need to make changes. With all the information on screen, Holiday Inn is leading the way with green technology.”

Premium Package for the Pomme D’Or Hotel

Airwave Europe recently upgraded the entire TV infrastructure of the Pomme d’Or Hotel in Jersey, part of the Seymour Group, to allow free-to-air satellite reception, including hundreds of channels from across the globe in many different languages. Airwave installed the IRS TV network while the existing network was still running, allowing the hotel to remain open throughout.

Samsung 32” LED Hospitality TVs were fitted into the guest rooms, which pick up the satellite reception and offer guests a vast range of channels with many in HD. Wayne Bowring, Airwave’s Key Account Manager, comments: ‘These screens are perfect for the Pomme d’Or as they cater for their international guest mix, as well as creating an elegant focal point to the guestrooms’. Airwave also installed AirINFO, our own full HD Hotel Information Channel, which was tailored for the hotel. The channel incorporates images and video as well as information on hotel services and local news and weather.

Senior management and guests at the Pomme d’Or Hotel are delighted with the results. Luis de Oliveira, General Manager, has said, ‘our guests have very high expectations of in-room services and technology. In a highly competitive market, it is essential to enhance their experience with an exceptional information and entertainment environment. We offer an extensive range of channels in superb clarity. Additionally, a dedicated information channel allows us to promote the hotel facilities and special offers via a very user-friendly portal.’

Citadines Trafalgar enjoys Hundreds of International Channels thanks to Airwave

Even though Citadines Trafalgar with its 187 apartments offers a near unrivalled location in Central London, it is ironic that it could not easily receive the basic Freeview service because of problems of line of sight to the transmitter. For Airwave, the solution was simple and the new AirSTREAM system has been installed which converts digital satellite (FreeSat) to digital terrestrial signals onto the hotel network. Because of the international guest mix, the same equipment is used to retransmit international channels in the same way. There is no requirement for any set top box at the headend and the system is completely digital.

Greenhills Hotel Entertains International Guests with Samsung Hospitality TVs

With a very cosmopolitan European guest mix, the charming Greenhills Hotel in Jersey, part of the Seymour Group, has opted for the latest Samsung LEDs with inbuilt satellite in order to both enhance the UK terrestrial offering via FreeSat, as well as provide French, German and other European language channels via satellite. As all coaxial cables were already fed into the headend, so Airwave Europe could easily upgrade the system to an Integrated Reception Sysem (IRS). Both guests and management are delighted with the results.

Tuned in with Airwave

Tune Hotels offer a 5 star bed at a 1 star price and are aimed at the savvy guest who wants value for money. The new 183 roomed Liverpool Street Hotel maintains a low rate as it gives the guest the option to pay charges for extras like breakfast, towels, room cleaning and as well as TV. However, those guests requiring TV will not be short-changed. Airwave Europe installed the latest 26” Samsung Hotel LCD TVs with inbuilt satellite tuners have been installed which will deliver the full FreeSat TV and radio service, including channels like BBC1 HD, BBC HD, ITV HD and 4HD.

Airwave provides Z Hotel Soho with the Complete Entertainment Solution

The ground-breaking Z hotel Soho marks a brand new era in hotels, with a chic urbanite feel to the room and a very affordable cost. Airwave Europe installed the latest, top of the range 40 inch Samsung LED TV as well as the full Sky HD service, which includes sports and movies. iPod docking stations and internet access are also included in the rate. With rooms from £85, this is the designer label without the designer price tag.