WebTV, and On Command Corp., a provider of information and entertainment to hotels, say they will change the way travelers access information and entertainment by delivering a version of WebTV's Internet service to more than one million viewers in more than 3,200 hotels worldwide. For business travelers and vacationers, the new service is expected to bring a long list of World Wide Web features providing critical communications and casual entertainment.

After several years of speculation about set-top boxes which deliver Web content on standard televisions, WebTV, with hardware partners, Sony and Phillips, surfaced as a leading provider for televised Internet service. Using a simple set-top box which connects to any standard television, customers can install the device and access the World Wide Web and electronic-mail in a matter of minutes.

An agreement with On Command opens a possible nine hundred thousand hotel rooms currently receiving On Command content to WebTV's new service. The first stage of the alliance calls for a three-month trial in select San Francisco Bay Area hotels. An enhanced WebTV offering includes a "reliable, high-speed" connection and allows users to participate in chats along with Web surfing and sending and receiving e-mail.

Following the three month trial, both companies will finalize an agreement to extend the service to an estimated half of all frequent business travelers and one-third of all leisure travelers.

The new service will provide custom travel information and local area content covering restaurants, entertainment, and other activities.

Travelers may not recognize On Command's name, but it is highly likely many travelers have used the company's service. In-room use of movies- on-demand, Sony PlayStation, on-screen video checkout, electronic room service and electronic guests surveys very likely means contact with On Command.

A spokesperson for the company, told Newsbytes, "This is great news for business travelers. Instead of worrying about telephone connections to a notebook, they can go directly to a television to receive and send critical business communications."

Source: Newsbytes