Methods and apparatus for customizing video services provided to customers in hotels

1. A method of providing video services, the method comprising:

storing video service information relating to customers in a customer database located at a service provider site, said customer database including, for each of a plurality of customers of said service provider: customer identification information and video service information including at least one of: i) customized program channel ordering information; ii) channel numbering information indicating channel numbers used to provide a video service to a residence corresponding to said customer; iii) program guide customization information; or iv) parental control information;

receiving, at said service provider site, a request for video service information corresponding to a customer from a hotel system at a hotel including a guest room corresponding to said customer; and

providing to said hotel system at least some of the stored video service information corresponding to said customer, said provided stored video service information including information on premium channels the customer is entitled to access as a result of the customer's home video service and information indicating whether pay to view content is to be automatically disabled when the customer checks in with children; and

operating said hotel system to automatically disable or enable pay per view based on check in information and the received information indicating whether video on-demand is to be automatically disabled when the customer checks in with children.

2. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein said program participant identifier is a loyalty customized identification information includes; and

wherein the information provided to the hotel in response to said request includes no customer identification information beyond that which was received from the hotel system.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the video service information stored in said database further includes for said customer:

a hotel information sharing record including information indicating multiple hotel chains and including information corresponding to a first hotel chain indicating whether the customer has enabled information sharing with hotels in the first hotel chain and information corresponding to a second hotel chain indicating whether the customer has enabled information sharing with hotels in the second hotel chain; and

wherein providing to said hotel system at least some of the stored video service information corresponding to said customer is performed after determining that said hotel information sharing record includes information indicating that the customer has enabled information sharing with said hotel.

4. The method of claim 3 ,

wherein the request further includes the dates at which a hotel room is to be occupied by the customer; and

wherein information on premium channels which the customer is entitled to access is limited to the time period indicated by the dates which the hotel room is to be occupied by the customer.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein said hotel information sharing record indicates that the customer has enabled information sharing with hotels in the first hotel chain and disabled information sharing with hotels in the second hotel chain.

6. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein said service provider site is an office of said service provider; and

wherein said customer database includes a customer record corresponding to said customer, said customer record including hotel chain identifiers and information indicating whether information sharing is enabled or disabled on a per hotel chain basis for each hotel chain identified by hotel chain identifier stored in said customer record.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said stored video service information includes information associating a hotel guest program member identifier to a customer identifier used by a cable company which supplies cable television to a customer premise of the customer identified by the customer identifier.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein providing to said hotel system at least some of the stored video service information includes:

identifying a customer record corresponding to the hotel guest program member identifier; and

returning to said hotel system video service information including at least one of: i) customized program channel ordering information; ii) channel numbering information indicating channel numbers used to provide a video service to a residence corresponding to said customer; iii) program guide customization information; or iv) premium channel information indicating premium channels to which the identified customer subscribes.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein identifying a customer record includes:

using a hotel rewards customer number identifier included in the request to identify said customer record.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said video service information is provided to said hotel system with the same customer identifier which was included in said request and without providing additional customer identification information beyond that which was received from said hotel system.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein said customer record indicates that the customer has enabled information sharing with hotels in a first hotel chain and disabled information sharing with hotels in a second hotel chain.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein video service information stored in the customer database includes information for the customer, that was configured from the customer's home, indicating that video-on-demand is to be automatically disabled when the customer checks in at the hotel with children.

13. A method of providing video services, the method comprising:

storing video service information relating to customers in a customer database located at a service provider site, said customer database including, for each of a plurality of customers of said service provider: customer identification information and video service information including at least premium channel information indicating premium channels to which the identified customer subscribes and one of: i) customized program channel ordering information; ii) channel numbering information indicating channel numbers used to provide a video service to a residence corresponding to said customer; iii) program guide customization information; or iv) parental control information;

receiving, at said service provider site, a request for video service information corresponding to a customer from a hotel system at a hotel including a guest room corresponding to said customer, said request for video service information indicating whether a child checked into the hotel with the customer or information indicating an age of the customer;

providing to said hotel system at least some of the stored video service information corresponding to said customer, said provided stored video service information including information on premium channels the customer is entitled to access as a result of the customer's home video service;

operating said hotel system to allow a customer to access premium channels the customer is entitled to access as a result of the customer's home video service while staying at the hotel at no charge or a reduced charge; and

wherein providing to said hotel system at least some of the stored video service information corresponding to said customer includes limiting the provided information to information relevant to a stay at said hotel, said providing to said hotel system at least some of the stored video service information including omitting, from the provided information, parental control information when no children are indicated to be present with the customer.

14. An apparatus for use in a hotel system in a hotel for providing video services, comprising:

an interface for sending a request to a service provider system for video service information corresponding to a customer stored at a service provider site, said video service information including premium channel information indicating premium channels to which the identified customer subscribes and at least one of: i) customized program channel ordering information; ii) channel numbering information indicating channel numbers used to provide a video service to a residence corresponding to said customer; iii) program guide customization information; or iv) parental control information; and

a receiver included in said interface, for receiving at said hotel system, at least some of the stored video service information corresponding to said customer, said received stored video service information including information on premium channels the customer is entitled to access as a result of the customer's home video service and information indicating whether pay to view content is to be automatically disabled when the customer checks in with children; and

a hotel video system configured to automatically disable or enable pay per view based on check in information and the received information indicating whether pay to view content is to be automatically disabled when the customer checks in with children.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising:

a processor configured to control said apparatus to control the supply of video and program guide to a room rented by the customer in said hotel based on the at least some of the stored video service information that was provided to the hotel system.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein said processor is further configured to apply, as part of controlling the supply of video and program guide, parental control restrictions included in the at least some of the stored video service information corresponding to the customer that was provided to the hotel system.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein said processor is further configured to provide access, in the room rented by said customer, to premium channels to which said customer subscribes at home.

18. An apparatus for providing video services, comprising:

a customer database located at a service provider site for storing video service information relating to customers, said customer database including, for each of a plurality of customers of said service provider: customer identification information and video service information including at least premium channel information indicating premium channels to which the identified customer subscribes and one of: i) customized program channel ordering information; ii) channel numbering information indicating channel numbers used to provide a video service to a residence corresponding to said customer; iii) program guide customization information; or iv) parental control information;

a receiver for receiving a request for video service information corresponding to a customer from a hotel system at a hotel including a guest room corresponding to said customer; and

an interface for providing to said hotel system at least some of the stored video service information corresponding to said customer, said provided stored video service information including information on premium channels the customer is entitled to access as a result of the customer's home video service; and

a hotel video system configured to automatically disable or enable pay per view based on check in information and received information indicating whether pay to view content is to be automatically disabled when the customer checks in with children and to allow a customer to access premium channels the customer is entitled to access as a result of the customer's home video service while staying at the hotel at no charge or a reduced charge.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein said customer identification information includes: at least one of: a customer name, an E-mail address corresponding to the customer, a program participant identifier corresponding to the customer, or a multi-system operator customer identifier used by a multi system operator to identify the customer.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the video service information stored in said database further includes:

parental control information indicating which channels are to be blocked from display or listing on a program guide.