Cox Business, a division of Cox Communications, has expanded the reach of its business video portfolio to include HD free-to-guest services for major national regional chains in all of its markets.

Cox Business honed its skills in the business video sector over the past few years in its Las Vegas market by deploying similar services in large hotels and casinos.

“Business and vacation travelers associate high-definition television with a premium guest experience,” said Kristine Faulkner, vice president of product development and management for Cox Business . “Once guests have enjoyed high-definition at home or while traveling, they expect and appreciate it as another premium amenity in their hotel property of choice.”

Cox Business’ standard offer includes 24 encrypted HD channels to hotel customers, including local broadcast channels and premium sports and movie channels, but it can expand to support additional high-definition channels based on individual hotel needs. Cox Business said it delivers Pro:Idiom-encrypted HD feeds, which are compliant with premium channel content security requirements and the television set standard that the hospitality industry has adopted.

Interoperability with Pro:Idiom allows Cox Business to deliver high-definition content without additional equipment in each guest room, such as set-top boxes. Pro:Idiom is a registered trademark of Zenith Electronics.

The new high-definition service has been successfully trialed and launched in hotel properties in several Cox markets, and the capabilities exist in all Cox markets today.

In September, Cox Business installed high-definition free-to-guest services in 600 guest suites at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort & Spa in Florida.