Triple-play crown for five-star resort

Kate Castellari

Considered an Australian first, the Crowne Plaza Hotel at the Hunter Valley in New South Wales is laying claim to be the only resort-style hotel to boast a completely converged network.

Less than two hours’ drive north of Sydney, surrounded by picturesque vineyards and with its own golf course, the hotel is proving a mecca for business clientele using its conference facilities, while also offering tourists a carefree break.

Integ Communications, an Australian integrator of communication technologies and a UXC company, has completed the rollout of an end-to-end converged voice and data network at the newly completed second stage of the Hunter Valley hotel.

Part of the worldwide InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG), the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley stage one, completed last year, boasts 150 rooms, 72 two-bedroom villas and conference facilities for up to 560 delegates, all surrounded by a stunning 18-hole golf course.

The second stage of the development nearly doubles the number of rooms and villas on offer.

According to Integ, IHG’s investment in leading technology solutions for guests and staff, delivered through a converged network, places Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley at the forefront of Australia’s highly competitive hospitality market.

Effective use of technology was seen to provide a key point of differentiation in the regional market, with 70 percent of guests at the hotel being business travellers.

With the goal of being the first hotel of choice for business clientele, a commitment was made to build a network that would enhance staff productivity throughout the complex, while providing exceptional service to guests during
their stay.

IHG chose Integ to design and implement a converged voice and data network, enabling the resort to run multiple services and applications across a single high-speed network to streamline back-office processes and offer guests business-grade services.

Integ provided the Internet Protocol (IP) telephony and data network solution to cover the entire complex primarily using Alcatel-Lucent products.

According to Integ it is one of the first “triple-play” hotels in Australia that uses voice, video and data across a converged network.

Simon Rachowski, consulting engineer at Integ, said in essence the greenfields site offered a significant opportunity to provide guests business-grade services and reduce overall telecommunication costs.

“It was a brand-new development and this resort was one of the first in a new generation, with the developer looking for a high-tech solution which had to have IP telephony and WiFi deployment wherever possible,” Rachowski said.

The network needed to be fast and robust, incorporating telephony, wired and wireless voice and data, high-speed Internet access in guest rooms, billing software and integrated IP applications for remote and mobile staff.

This network also needed to be able to support a digital video-on-demand solution, which was to be rolled out as part of the project.

“The project stipulated that it must have IP telephony and different numbers of handsets, as well as video on demand, and with that we implemented a converged network and high-density wireless LAN,” Rachowski said.

“We had to provide WiFi both indoors and out and the wireless infrastructure itself was used to deliver Internet access, including EFTPOS and property management services.

“Some staff had to have wireless PDAs and access to property management networks as well as voice over WiFi.

“Essentially we provided a network with no distinction between the wireless and wired network,” he said.

Among the applications running across the network are IP telephony, back-office processing and wireless-enabled hand-held point-of-sale terminals so staff can process guest orders in real-time anywhere in the resort, an IP-based video on demand system and high-speed Internet access for guests.

Wireless access points are spread across the hotel complex and provide coverage virtually anywhere guests and staff can go.

Staff carry robust WiFi-enabled handsets giving greater mobility and increased communication resort-wide.

“The target market for the hotel comprises 70 percent business and 30 percent leisure travellers,” said Neil Houghton, general manager at Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley.

“Business travellers are technologically savvy and don’t have time to struggle with complicated connectivity options and slow Internet services.
“They need to be able to connect and get on with business now, and without fuss.

“It is this system that sets the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley Resort apart in catering specifically to the business guest,” Houghton said.

“This gives the hotel a market edge in the Hunter Valley, where there are a number of hotels competing for the mid-week conference market.

“The network Integ has delivered, and gives our business guests a true mobile office environment.

“It has helped increase staff efficiencies and improve responsiveness through wireless telephony, wireless Internet access as well as the wireless point-of-sale solution. ??

“This point-of-sale solution can be used anywhere in the resort to post mini-bar charges or to take food and beverage orders from around the pool. Services are charged in real-time to guests’ accounts.

“Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley is a model site for not only hotels in the IHG chain, but for other four- to five-star hotels throughout Australia that want to implement a converged network to improve customer service and drive growth plans,” he said.

Houghton said since the installation of the solution, the hotel has seen above-average usage for both Internet access and digital movies.

“There is no restriction to the number of guests who can watch the same movie simultaneously and the hotel can provide attractive package deals.

“Adding wireless coverage anywhere in the resort gives guests complete mobility with their laptops and PDAs.

“Converged voice and data networks are a way for the hospitality market to improve customer service and drive additional revenue opportunities through Digital Video on Demand, High-Speed Internet Access and wireless functionality,” said Ian Poole, CEO, Integ Group.

“An IP network such as that installed at Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley enables a wide variety of wired and wireless applications.

“This not only gives the hotel a competitive edge now, but also will keep it at the forefront of the business hospitality market in the region well into the future.

“The solution enables the hotel to run multiple services and applications across a single high-speed network to streamline back-office processes, offer guests business-grade services and reduce telecommunication costs.

“The four- and five-star hotel market is a sector that has traditionally been conservative in the uptake of technology, but now it is starting to forge ahead with the deployment of innovative solutions. Guest satisfaction, repeat visits and increasing occupancy levels, are the key drivers.”

Services and applications delivered across Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley’s converged voice and data network include? High-Speed Internet Access (HSIA) for both guests and staff wired and wireless.

Digital Video on Demand, IP telephony for guests and staff, wireless Point-Of-Sale (POS) devices for real-time processing of guest orders, across the entire site, both indoor and outdoor, and WiFi (telephony and HSIA) access for both guests and staff.

Alcatel technology provides the backbone to the network.

The converged network Integ designed and implemented is based on Alcatel’s IP PBX and data switching platforms.

Alcatel wireless access points include the guest villas, Kids Club and pool areas to provide a complete coverage for guests.

Each guest room or two-bedroom villa has two Alcatel IPTouch phones featuring uncomplicated, easy-to-use softkeys for guests to easily access hotel services.

The WiFi-enabled handsets carried by staff enable greater mobility and increased communication.

More than 500 Alcatel IP phones are deployed across the site for both staff and guests.

Poole said the completion of the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley rollout adds to Integ’s list of hospitality customers, with more than 200 four- and five-star hotel properties across Australia under support.

“During the past 18 months we have seen a significant commitment among the large hotel chains to upgrade or invest in an infrastructure that will enable them to deliver these types of value-added services,” he said. ?

“An IP network such as that installed at Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley enables a wide variety of wired and wireless applications. This not only gives the hotel a competitive edge now, but will keep it at the forefront of the business hospitality market in the region well into the future.”