Netflix and Marriott have struck a pioneering deal to transform hotel room entertainment
Marriott Hotels said on Wednesday that it's adding a Netflix app to in-room TVs in some of its hotels.
That means that guests who stay at any of the six hotels that now have the Netflix app on its in-room TVs - more are rolling out this summer and over the next 18 months - will be able to sign into their own Netflix accounts to stream.
People staying at the hotel only have to sign into their accounts once while they're at the hotel, and they'll stay signed in throughout their stay. Since they'll be streaming from their own accounts, they'll be able to start shows where they left off as well as see the recommendations tailored to them, just like they'd see on any other device they use to watch Netflix.
Guests are automatically signed out of their Netflix accounts when they checkout.
For now, Netflix on the in-room TV is only available at six Marriott hotels in the US, in cities like New York, San Jose, CA and Bethesda, Md., but the company says it'll offer Netflix in close to all of its 300 hotels in the US by the end of 2016.
It's a smart move for both Netflix and Marriott. It makes the hotels more attractive to guests, because it'll be easier to watch Netflix on the biggest screen in the room. It could also help drive Netflix subscriptions, as the company will be offering its usual free 30-day trial to guests that aren't yet members. And that same promise of a free 30-day trial is an attractive prospect to people looking for hotels with good entertainment options for their next stay. And that's sure to add to the already more than 40 million paying Netflix members in the US.
People already regularly stream video from services like Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, and HBO Go while they're in hotels, which has helped hasten the decline of in-room hotel entertainment companies like LodgeNet, which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2013.
The announcement comes as traditional TV viewing and ratings are down in the US and streaming video is rising.
On Wednesday, Netflix stock surged to a new record high of $692.
This year alone, the stock has more than doubled and from its bottom of around $60 per share in late 2011, the stock is now up better than 600%.