As guests demand more and better services, hotels need a better platform to offer and manage them says Pinnacle – South Africa’s leading ICT distributor and authorised distributor of Huawei Technologies Enterprise products in Africa.
According to Fred Saayman, Pinnacle’s Huawei Business Unit Executive, the hospitality industry is fiercely competitive and needs to be capable of rapid expansion and automation of a wide variety of services.
“Many hotels operate with systems that are old, expensive and difficult to manage,” he said.
“They also require expanded capabilities for new services including convenient check-in; ubiquitous wireless internet access; IP phone services; intelligent guest room management; global telepresence services and reliable facility security.”
Saayman says that Huawei’s solution – an all-IP optical network with Gigabit Capable Passive Optical Network (GPON) technology – meets these requirements.
“Voice, data and video services previously carried over separate networks are available on a unified communications platform,” he said.
“The solution integrated Huawei’s IP PBX with property management and hospitality services using existing analogue telephone resources to provide quick, co-ordinated communication services. Integrated Bluetooth and IP phone service allows handset calls to improve the guest experience, which is the name of the game in the hospitality industry.”
Saayman says the expanded capabilities,include:
- An agile Wi-Fi network for guest access from rooms, spas, pools, or lounges
- Smart tablet usage for ordering food, controlling room facilities, or requesting information
- IP phone and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)
- Richer video conferencing
- Wake up calls and message waiting functions on Telematrix analogue phones
- Modern hotel management functions for check-in, HD security monitoring, and IPTV
“With this solution, hotels no longer pay service providers to create personalised services,” said Saayman.
“For example, if a guest needs specific Internet speeds, the hotel simply manages the request internally by adjusting the quality of service priority.”
Saayman confirms that this system is currently deployed in TAJ Resorts and Palaces in India, where the system’s simplified management substantially lowered downtime by 7% to 8% and optimised management overhead for lower total cost of ownership.
“Huawei and TAJ plan to maintain their relationship in the future to interconnect a wider array of hotel services, including detailed guest room management; business traveller amenities; catering and leisure services,” he said.
“The potential for development and service excellence, in terms of the South African hospitality sector, is immense. Economic growth continues to be a priority in this country and global technologies like this solution from Huawei will enhance this country’s competitiveness as a customer service destination of choice.”