Any guest that has stayed in a hotel in Hawaii has likely viewed on in-room channels content provided by NMG Network, a creator of custom media experiences for luxury and leisure travel, hospitality and premium residential partners. Its Emmy Award-winning videos can be seen at 85% of the state’s hotels.
“We are creative storytellers and are passionate about creating content that authentically informs, inspires and entertains; we craft key messaging and narratives into stunning, captivating and original video content,” said Francine Beppu, VP, integrated marketing, NMG Network. “We’ve had the privilege of serving well-established global companies as well as local nonprofits and startups, with a focused mission to get to the heart of what makes each partner project unique.”
The ZeeVee ZvPro820i modulator/encoder
One local partner is Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, a chain of beachfront resorts, hotels and vacation rentals in Hawaii, as well as Fiji, Thailand, Mauritius and the Maldives. Outrigger has turned to NMG Network for not only in-room content, but digital displays and advertising on its new Digital Passport mobile app.
“NMG is an industry leader in hospitality media content, so we were intrigued to work with them to develop and manage [our]entire on-property advertising platform,” said Brent Shiratori, VP, global brand group, Outrigger Hospitality Group. “In addition to being best-in-class on the technical side, NMG is masterful at visual storytelling. Being able to share an authentic sense of place for the destination provides both education and entertainment for our visitors—ultimately helping to cultivate a more meaningful guest experience.”
Not just a content provider, NMG Network also provided the audiovisual infrastructure for Outrigger’s properties, including the 635-room Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort, “which came about after discussing implementation of the hotel’s newly branded guest channel and how we would deliver new content to their guests,” noted Beppu.
NMG Network programming can be seen on Outrigger’s in-room TV channel.
NMG met with several departments—IT, engineering, etc.—and found it was much easier to do everything itself rather than source the work out.
Beppu noted, “We addressed a need to reduce complexity and found a cost-efficient solution to simplify content delivery for the hoteliers we work with to ultimately be able to provide guests with the best in-room viewing experience.”
The company installed the ZeeVee ZvPro820i modulator/encoder at each property to deliver content to guest channels. It enabled NMG to program up to two channels with each mod, which connects to the head-end/guestroom entertainment (GRE) platform on the property.
“The ZeeVee model distributes the channel feed to their custom in-room channel,” said Beppu. “The equipment is easy to set up and the manufacturer provides excellent response time and support. The dual mods provide an additional channel input for a second channel or can be used for livestream events to broadcast in guestrooms. Once the equipment is connected and online, we’re able to update programming and manage the content feed—in real time—remotely through a cloud-based platform.”
Audiovisual hardware in a backroom at an Outrigger resort.
According to Outrigger’s Shiratori, guests and hotel staff alike have provided positive feedback on the services NMG has provided.
“Outrigger’s global brand team has enjoyed the partnership with NMG to develop engaging video content and manage our in-room TV programming. Because they have a Hawaii office, NMG not only understands the nuances of the islands, but is available for immediate support as needed,” he said. “Outrigger guests have enjoyed discovering more about Hawaii through our in-room TV channel, Outrigger Journey, which showcases the islands’ culture, art, music and activities. We look forward to further sharing the stories of Outrigger destinations in a meaningful and authentic way.”
NMG, Beppu noted, monitors connectivity and manage programming updates to guest channels. “If anything happens to need troubleshooting onsite,” she said, “we set up auto alerts with 24/7 monitoring and provide support onsite within the same day or 24 hours at most.”
Outrigger is not the only partner for which NMG has provided infrastructure; others include Shutters on the Beach and Casa del Mar in Santa Monica, CA, and Halekulani, Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Sheraton Waikiki, Moana Surfrider and Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Hawaii.
“We also most recently announced a new partnership with The Little Nell in Aspen, CO,” Bepp said.
