Logo

Fine Perks for Fine Hotels

Jun 21, 2007  •  Post A Comment

Luxury travelers who can’t stand to be away from high-definition programming while vacationing may find themselves thanking Stuart Levin, CEO of Tangerine Global.
Mr. Levin’s company, which has been around since 2005, is trying to corner the market for delivering widescreen entertainment to fine hotels.
“I’ve been in the HD world for the past 20 years, so the idea to start an HD company was a natural evolvement,” Mr. Levin said. “I’m a serial entrepreneur and business is my hobby.”
The HD luxury programming provided by Tangerine Global is offered as a free amenity and is tailored to guests’ interests.
“We are very selective about the programming we choose,” he said. “We offer upscale shows that target the luxury traveler demographic.”
This includes programming about yoga, fashion, wine museums, fitness, art and travel. The company gets its content from various providers ranging from Rainbow Media and the BBC to independent film producers. Tangerine Global also provides non-luxury HD channels such as ESPN as part of its service.
The ability to customize to meet the needs of the client is part of the company’s appeal, he said. When international travelers stay at a hotel, Tangerine can provide high-def programming native to their country no matter where in the world they are staying.
Mr. Levin is trying to capitalize on any advantage he has in being the first to market HD services to fine hotels.
“We’re not in the same business as the typical hotel,” Mr. Levin said. “The television entertainment at standard hotels is typically Hollywood and adult content. I don’t know of anybody who is doing luxury HD right now.”
Luxury hotels such as the Mandarin Oriental and the Peninsula use Tangerine Global’s services. Mr. Levin estimates that at those two hotels alone, his company services more than 20,000 rooms around the world. He says it’s difficult to give a specific number of clients because the company is constantly expanding. Currently, it services hotels in the United States, Tokyo, Hong Kong and soon, a location in Munich.
At age 59, Mr. Levin is proof that it doesn’t take a college degree to be a business success. A native of Brooklyn, he dropped out of Brooklyn College to pursue business endeavors.
“I found what I liked to do and started doing it,” he said.
Before Tangerine Global, Mr. Levin spent 15 years as founding chairman of TVN Entertainment Corp., which managed and distributed on-demand and pay-per-view programming. He also has worked with Rainbow Media and Voom.
Because he loves what he does for a living so much, Mr. Levin says he doesn’t have many hobbies outside of work. However, he does enjoy traveling and spending time with his wife and three cats at his home in Santa Monica, Calif.
Mr. Levin’s personal favorite on HD is sports.
“Watching an NFL game in HD is a very good experience,” he said. “I have been into HD for a while, so I basically like watching everything in high-definition.”
Mr. Levin said he believes HD is at a tipping point, with the time approaching that everyone will own an HDTV set. “Many years ago, hi-def was not cost-effective,” Mr. Levin said. “Now, it’s very mainstream. People can go to Costco and get a good-quality HDTV set.”
He also says he thinks it’s getting to the point where all networks will be available in HD.
“You’re not going to want to be a basic-cable network and look worse than HBO and Discovery,” he said.
Until that day, Mr. Levin plans to focus on adding more content and channels to Tangerine Global’s lineup and continuing to grow the company. “I want the company to be more global, more HD, more content, more everything,” he said.

23 Comments

  1. Thanks for your visiting this http://www.glamourseller.com online store.

  2. Amazing freakin blog here. I almost cried while reading it!

  3. Dreamin. I love blogging. You all express your feelings the right way, because they are your feeling, focus on your blog it is great.

  4. I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz reply back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know wheere u got this from. thanks

  5. Dreamin. I love blogging. You all express your feelings the right way, because they are your feeling, focus on your blog it is great.

  6. Great blog!! You should start many more. I love all the info provided. I will stay tuned 🙂

  7. I’ll gear this review to 2 types of people: current Zune owners who are considering an upgrade, and people trying to decide between a Zune and an iPod. (There are other players worth considering out there, like the Sony Walkman X, but I hope this gives you enough info to make an informed decision of the Zune vs players other than the iPod line as well.)

  8. Way to focus and straight to your point, i love it. Keep up the work people. Dont let anyone stop us bloggers.

  9. This is good info! Where else can if ind out more?? Who runs this joint too? Keep up the good work 🙂

  10. Nice!! Great Ifo. Great People. Great Blog. Thank you for all the great sharing that is being done here.

  11. Neat blog layout! Very easy on the eyes.. i like the colors you picked out

  12. Amazing freakin blog here. I almost cried while reading it!

  13. Dreamin. I love blogging. You all express your feelings the right way, because they are your feeling, focus on your blog it is great.

  14. High quality info here! Keep up the great work. I love the feelings being expressed.

  15. Great blog!! You should start many more. I love all the info provided. I will stay tuned 🙂

  16. I love the way you write and also the theme on your blog. Did you code this yourself or was it done by a professional? I’m very very impressed.

  17. Hey how are you doing? I just wanted to stop by and say that it’s been a pleasure reading your blog. I have bookmarked your website so that I can come back & read more in the future as well. plz do keep up the quality writing

  18. Interesting thoughts here. I appreciate you taking the time to share them with us all. It’s people like you that make my day 🙂

  19. Great blog!! You should start many more. I love all the info provided. I will stay tuned 🙂

  20. I agree with your thoughts here and I really love your blog! I’ve bookmarked it so that I can come back & read more in the future.

  21. I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz reply back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know wheere u got this from. thanks

  22. I like your blog.

Leave a Reply to Microsoft Office Online Training Cancel Reply

Email (will not be published)