UXC Connect in cloud-telephony win with major hotel chain

UXC Connect has landed a key win for its Alcatel-Lucent telephony-as-as-service (ITaaS) platform with the Accor Asia Pacific hotel chain.

The iTaaS platform has been deployed at the 311-room Ibis Adelaide, a $65 million development that opened its doors in July this year and is described as the "new face of economy hotels".

UXC is calling the deployment an Australian first in terms of its customised commercial model – rather than billing the hotel per port, the size of the bill is dependent on how many rooms are booked.

While the initial deployment is for the Adelaide hotel, there is potential for a wider rollout. Accor has 200 hotels in Australia, including 60 across the Ibis portfolio, as well as Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure, Adagio, Ibis, Ibis Styles, Ibis Budget and HotelF1.

A wider rollout will depend on various factors. Accor Asia Pacific doesn’t own all of its assets and some hotel owners may have significant investments in on-site PABX systems. A lack of connectivity at some locations might pose a challenge.

Accor Asia Pacific is using the Adelaide deployment as a test case, said CIO Paul Smith.

“Technically we're very happy. It's the way we’d like to go forward but we're just confirming for existing hotels what the budget landscape would look like,” he told CRN in late August.

UXC Connect already supports voice services to 120 of the 250 Accor hotels in the region, Smith said. CRN understands those properties will be the initial focus as they already use an Alcatel Lucent solution.

UXC Connect managing director Ian Poole said in a statement the company is "well-placed to implement the model across the extensive Accor hotel network both by equipping new hotels and transitioning existing properties".

"Hotels are looking to maximise revenue per room by delivering services at a predictable cost that is directly aligned to hotel occupancy," Poole said.

UXC Connect partially or fully manages iTaaS on a monthly fee per user per feature basis. The service includes fixed line telephony, unified messaging, presence and instant messaging, conferencing and mobility features.