AV & IT Convergence Workgroup
AV systems increasingly run over hotel IP networks. That shift creates opportunities to connect systems across a property, but it also changes how hotels design, manage, and support the infrastructure behind them.
The workgroup is revisiting earlier HTNG work to address current hospitality use cases, from digital signage and meeting-room presentations to video distribution and live event production. Its first step is to document those use cases and the requirements behind them.
The goal is practical guidance that hotel owners, operators, and the teams designing and supporting AV systems can use to make informed infrastructure decisions.
To learn more, please contact AHLA's Darrel Hugh at dhugh@ahla.com.
What's New
- A use-case-first approach: The group is reviewing the stakeholders, equipment, cabling, network access, power, support needs, products, and protocols associated with each hospitality AV use case.
- Performance beyond bandwidth: Discussions are addressing latency, jitter, time synchronization, and the effects of other traffic on shared networks. These considerations are particularly important for live AV.
- Guidance grounded in hotel operations: The group is considering both permanent AV installations and conference events, including when shared infrastructure is appropriate and when a separate AV network may still make sense.
Why It Matters
- For Hotels: A clearer basis for evaluating AV infrastructure and the operational support it requires.
- For AV and IT Teams: A shared understanding of system requirements and network-performance considerations.
- For Integrators and Manufacturers: Hospitality use cases that connect technical decisions to property needs.
The workgroup is developing an updated white paper for hotel owners and management companies. Its recommendations are still in development.
Workgroup Leadership
Co-Chair Senior Systems Engineer, Hospitality Ruckus Networks | 
Co-Chair Director, Information Technology Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center |