Beyond the Discount: How Hoteliers Can Outsmart the Black Friday Discount Race
It’s that time of year again: your inbox is groaning under the weight of Black Friday deals, and every hotelier from Aberdeen to Penzance is reaching for the big red ‘discount’ button. Suddenly, everyone’s racing to see who can knock 40% off their rates fastest, as if the only way to fill rooms is to start a price limbo contest.
Revenue managers grit their teeth and call it ‘keeping up with the OTAs’. Brand managers? They see it for what it is: a one-way ticket to the bargain basement. Slash your rates too often and your guests will train to wait for the next sale, and your hotel will start to look like it’s only worth booking when there’s yet another sale.
Chopping prices might fill beds, but it’s a blinkered move. The real win during Cyber Week? Use that holiday buzz to get guests through the door, then let your in-room experience do the heavy lifting by suddenly turning bargain-hunters into big spenders once they’re on property.
And the secret weapon for all this extra revenue? It’s been staring your guests in the face the whole time: the humble but always noble in-room TV.
The Black Friday Dilemma: Volume vs. Brand Equity
The fundamental problem with typical Cyber Week promotions is that they strip value from the property rather than build it in. When a boutique or luxury hotel slashes room rates, two negative things happen simultaneously:
Brand Erosion: High-value guests associate price cuts with a drop in quality or prestige.
Margin Compression: Fixed operational costs remain static while top-line revenue drops, leaving front-line teams to manage higher occupancy with smaller profit margins.
To break out of this trap, forward-thinking hoteliers are pivoting from rate-slashing to value-add. Instead of dropping a £250 room to £175, they keep the rate at £250 and bundle high-margin ancillary experiences. Consider offering your guests a private dining credit, spa access, late checkout, or a welcome bottle of wine.
The challenge then moves from the booking engine to the property floor. How do you ensure guests actually engage with and purchase these premium ancillary services once they step inside their room?
Before Installation: Planning the Right Hotel TV Solution
A successful hotel TV installation starts well before any equipment is installed. Every hotel is different. The size of the property, existing cabling, network infrastructure, number of rooms, and the type of guest experience you want to provide can all influence the most suitable solution. Before recommending a system, Hotel TV Company can work with your team to understand your requirements and assess the existing infrastructure. This may include the following:
- Existing TV and signal infrastructure
- Coaxial cabling
- Network capability
- Signal quality
- Room numbers and property layout
- Required guests features
- Budget and future requirements
This planning stage helps ensure the recommended hotel TV system is appropriate for the property rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. In some cases, hotels may be able to use their existing coaxial infrastructure. Other properties may benefit from an IP-based hotel TV system that uses the hotel’s network. Modernising your guest-room entertainment does not always mean replacing everything already in place.
In-Room Upsells Your Guests Won't Resist
Remember the days of plastic tent cards on the desk, battered room service binders, and those flyers that end up wedged under the minibar? Static, outdated, and, let’s be honest, mostly destined for the recycling bin.
Today’s hotel guests expect seamless, interactive digital touchpoints. Yet post-arrival mobile app downloads remain notoriously low; most travellers simply don’t want to download an app for a two-night stay.
Enter the interactive guest TV – the unsung hero that’s already in every room, just waiting to be put to work.
The guest room television commands 100% share of voice during key moments of relaxation. When a guest walks into their room, puts down their luggage, and turns on the screen, you have a captive, highly receptive audience.
By turning standard displays into interactive hospitality hubs, hotels can shift passive viewing into a dynamic, frictionless channel for direct upsells.
4 Ways to Turn In-Room TVs into Revenue Engines
Once the solution has been planned, the next stage is installation and configuration. Hotel TV Company provides nationwide hotel TV installation through certified engineers, helping ensure TVs and supporting systems are professionally installed and prepared to use. Installation requirements can vary between properties but may include:
- TV mounting
- Equipment installation
- Channel tuning
- System configuration
- Guest-facing screen setup
- Testing and commissioning
We also understand that hotels cannot simply stop operating while technology is being installed. Where possible, installation schedules can be planned around hotel operations to help minimise disruption, including flexible scheduling when required.
Capitalise on the "First 10 Minutes" Window
Research into guest behaviour consistently shows that the first ten minutes after check-in have the highest engagement rates. Guests explore their space, settle in, and decide how to spend their stay.
When the TV boots up with a warm, personalised greeting, it shouldn’t just display local weather or standard hotel notifications. It should display contextual, curated offers tailored to that exact moment:
“Travel-weary? Tap your remote to order our signature cheese board and handpicked wine pairing straight to your room.”
“Unwind after your journey and book a twilight hydrotherapy session for 6:00 PM.”
By pairing visually appealing photography with simple remote-control ordering, you capture impulse spending without front-desk friction.
Turn Room Service into a High-Margin Digital Menu
Paper room-service menus limit dynamic pricing and make updates cumbersome. Digital TV portals let you run dynamic, real-time upselling.
During Cyber Week, you can push limited-time, chef-curated dining bundles directly to the screen.
The Late-Night Craft Pairing: Feature a gourmet burger combined with a local craft ale at a premium package price.
The Breakfast Upgrade: Allow guests to schedule their morning breakfast order straight from the screen before sleeping, encouraging add-ons like fresh juices or artisan coffee options.
Let’s be honest: a sizzling steak or a frothy cappuccino is way more tempting on a big, bright screen than in a faded old menu. That’s how you turn a quick order into a full-on treat-yourself moment.
Monetise Low-Occupancy Spa and Experience Hours
One of the easiest ways to increase total revenue per available room without discounting is to fill empty operational slots.
If your spa has unbooked appointments on a Tuesday afternoon, or your hotel bar is quiet between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM, use on-screen prompts to display time-sensitive deals:
“Exclusive In-Room Offer: Receive a 20% credit on all spa treatments booked today between 2 PM and 5 PM”
Just like that, those sleepy Tuesday afternoons or slow bar hours turn into golden revenue opportunities.
Frictionless Late Checkout and Extended Stays
Late checkout is one of the highest-margin upsells a hotel can offer. It requires virtually zero added operational cost, yet guests place immense value on it.
Instead of requiring guests to call down to reception, prompt them via the TV on the evening before departure:
“Enjoying your stay? Extend your checkout to 2:00 PM tomorrow for just £35. Tap Select to confirm.”
By integrating the TV interface with your Property Management System (PMS), the extension auto-populates to the guest ledger and notifies housekeeping seamlessly, creating an effortless process for both staff and guests.
The Strategic Shift: Protection Over Discounting
To maintain your brand’s integrity throughout Black Friday, Cyber Week, and the peak holiday booking windows, shift your core metrics from simple room volume to Total Revenue Per Available Room (TRevPAR) and Net Revenue Per Available Room (NRevPAR).
Keep your rates strong, use those in-room screens to spark extra spending, and you’ll protect your brand, your margins, and most importantly, your sanity, long after the Black Friday madness has faded.
Delivering a Smarter Guest Experience
Black Friday doesn’t have to be a margin massacre. Put guest experience first, and you’ll find every room has more to give than just a discounted rate.
When tech does its job quietly in the background, those in-room screens stop feeling like a billboard and start feeling like genuine, thoughtful hospitality.
Ready to Elevate your In-room Strategy?
If you want to see how interactive TV technology can increase your guest spending and streamline operations without altering your published room rates, we can help.
Book a short, tailored demo to see our guest-facing solutions in action and discover how easy it is to start driving measurable upsells across your property.
Frequenty Asked Questions (FAQs)
General Information
What types of businesses do you work with?
We specialise in supplying Hospitality TVs and TV systems to hotels, hospitals, care homes, and other accommodation-based or healthcare facilities across the UK.
What makes Hospitality TVs different from regular consumer TVs?
Hospitality TVs are designed specifically for commercial use. They offer advanced management features, remote configuration, welcome messaging, anti-theft features, and integration with property management systems (PMS) or hospital entertainment platforms.
Do you offer both products and services?
Yes. We supply a full range of Hospitality TVs and also offer installation, content setup, technical support, and ongoing service packages tailored to your needs.
Products and Services
What brands or models of TVs do you offer?
We work with leading brands like Samsung, LG, and Philips, offering a range of screen sizes and features based on your facility’s requirements.
Do your TVs support casting or streaming apps like Netflix or YouTube?
Yes. Many of our models include smart TV functionality and can support casting from personal devices or come pre-integrated with apps, depending on the service package.
Can we integrate your TVs with our existing systems?
In most cases, yes. We’ll assess your infrastructure and recommend compatible solutions, whether you’re using a legacy coaxial system or modern IP-based networks.
Do you offer TV mounting and installation services?
Absolutely. We provide full delivery and installation services, including wall mounting, configuration, and staff training.
Pricing and Contracts
How is pricing structured?
We offer both purchase and leasing options. Pricing depends on the model, quantity, and service level. Contact us for a custom quote tailored to your property.
Do you offer bulk discounts?
Yes, we offer competitive pricing and discounts on bulk orders. Larger installations benefit from volume-based pricing and extended service plans.
Are there any ongoing fees for support or software?
We offer both basic and premium service plans. Ongoing fees may apply for managed services, content updates, and extended warranties.
Delivery and Installation
How long does it take to deliver and install the TVs?
Delivery timelines vary depending on order size and location, but most installations are completed within 2–4 weeks from order confirmation.
Can you install outside normal business hours?
Yes, we offer flexible scheduling, including evenings and weekends, to minimize disruption to your operations.
Support and Maintenance
What kind of after-sales support do you provide?
Our support includes phone and email assistance, remote diagnostics, on-site technician visits (where applicable), and software updates.
What happens if a TV breaks or malfunctions?
We provide warranty coverage and offer repair or replacement services based on the terms of your service plan.
Do you offer remote management of TV systems?
Yes. Many of our systems include remote monitoring and management capabilities, allowing you or our team to update content and settings without needing to visit each room.
Getting Started
How do we get a quote or place an order?
Simply contact our sales team through this link with your project details, and we’ll provide a tailored quote.
Do you offer site surveys or consultations?
Yes. We offer free initial consultations and can arrange site surveys to ensure the solution we recommend fits your facility’s needs.