CASE STUDY: Sinclair ‘Smart Hotel’ Sets Itself Apart with Guestroom TVs, Digital Signage and Smart Mirrors that Run on PoE

Marriott’s newest Autograph Collection property, The Sinclair in Fort Worth, Texas, may very well be the first truly smart hotel in the United States. And, with top-of-the-line OLED hotel TVs from LG Business Solutions USA in every room, the Sinclair Hotel leverages cutting-edge signage to significantly enhance the guest experience.

“As the world’s first hotel to run almost entirely on Power-over-Ethernet, my redesign of the illustrious Sinclair Hotel merges early 20th century styling with 21st century technologies to create a unique environment that exudes luxury,” Sinclair president and developer Farukh Aslam said. “In order to live up to our guests’ expectations and set The Sinclair apart, we incorporated 55-inch LG OLED 4K UHD TVs in all 164 guest rooms and 65-inch LG OLED 4K UHD Wallpaper displays in 15 luxury suites and public areas – creating the ultimate digital guest experience.”

The Sinclair is an early adopter of OLED television display technology, placing it among a group of forward-thinking properties that provide superior guest experiences. Among the many benefits of LG’s displays and content distribution software are superior picture quality, brightness and color accuracy, the ability to perform basic maintenance and update procedures for all the displays remotely, and simple connection to guests’ personal streaming service accounts.

The Sinclair Hotel uses LG’s Pro:Idiom^® digital rights management technology to decrypt and securely deliver programming content from providers like HBO, Disney and ESPN. With the addition of a set-top box at each LG OLED and LG OLED Wallpaper display, they can also offer connection to popular streaming services in demand by today’s travelers.

The Sinclair Hotel’s unique in-room media experiences extend into the bathroom, where the 21-inch touchscreen Savvy™ SmartMirror™ from Electric Mirror delivers TV programming and custom hotel content such as local weather, restaurant menus and a custom icon-based channel map for quick and easy channel selection. To create this innovative experience, Electric Mirror integrated the Pro:Idiom software into the unit itself.

“This is the first time the LG Pro:Idiom solution has been integrated in any smart mirror,” said Electric Mirror President and CEO Jim Mischel. “As a pure software solution, this integration enables remote troubleshooting and resets of the Electric Mirror. The difference between a traditional mirror TV and our smart mirror TV is that performing physical maintenance on the traditional version requires taking the whole mirror off the wall, which is a labor-intensive process. With Pro:Idiom integrated into the smart mirror, we now have a solution that is much simpler to install and service. It no longer needs to be removed from the wall. The service now happens through the software. Plus, it can even be powered through Power-over-Ethernet, which was necessary to meet The Sinclair’s specifications.”

Outside of the guest rooms, the Sinclair Hotel uses 65-inch LG OLED 4K Ultra HD “Wallpaper” displays to “wow” visitors in public spaces. In the meeting room and on-site steakhouse, the displays showcase dynamic content that reaffirms the hotel’s luxurious aesthetic. “LG OLED technology harnesses the capability to dazzle guests,” added Michael Kosla, hospitality vice president at LG Business Solutions USA. “LG OLED wallpaper displays are perfect for these public spaces because of their wide viewing angles. Regardless of where you’re sitting in the room, the display turns any blank space into a new canvas for digital art or engaging content.”

In addition to innovating with display technology, The Sinclair Hotel’s use of Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) throughout the entire property is a leap forward in design and efficiency. All guest rooms and common areas run almost entirely on PoE, so there are very few 120-volt outlets or appliances. This technology enables the hotel to reduce its energy consumption by 30 to 40 percent while reducing the risk of electrical malfunctions, Aslam explained.

“We wanted every sight to light up our guests’ imaginations, and the combination of a 1929 art deco design with cutting-edge display technologies delivers that feeling,” he concluded. “It’s something guests can’t get anywhere else in Fort Worth, and really anywhere else in the country.”

Each guest room features a 55-inch LG OLED hotel TV (model 55EU960) as the main TV and a 21-inch touchscreen Savvy SmartMirror in the bathroom. The hotel’s meeting room, steakhouse, and 15 suites feature the 65-inch LG OLED “Wallpaper” display (model 65WU960).

Complementing the LG commercial displays at the Sinclair are advanced indoor comfort technologies from LG Electronics that helped transform a 1920s art-deco office building into this luxury boutique hotel. The challenge was to incorporate a state-of-the-art HVAC system while maintaining the historic building’s unique design and architectural details.

The Sinclair selected LG’s award-winning Multi™ V IV heat-recovery units, which are able to provide individualized comfort for each space, for their energy efficiency, high performance and flexibility in design and installation options. LG’s AC Smart controller gives the management team seamless control of the flexible HVAC system.

Pro:Idiom is a Registered Trademark of Zenith Electronics LLC, a subsidiary of LG Electronics USA Inc.