The hotel industry of today is more competitive than ever before. In a tough economy time like this, hotels have to compete with one another to stay in the best locations, have superb interior designs, and offer the best hospitality services for customers. Also, they need to employ and provide various IT technologies for customers who love the modern lifestyle. Deploying IT technologies helps hotels increase customer satisfaction, enhance the quality of hotel services and gain competitive advantages.
Back in 1972, the first Le Meridien hotel was established in Paris, France; and now it has 115 branches in all over the world. Two years ago, Le Meridien was acquired and merged as one of the hotel in Starwood alliances, which contains nine internationally renowned hotel brands.
To differentiate itself among its competitors, Le Meridien management was looking for something to broaden the appeal of the hotel. They decided to accentuate the characteristic of being a true European hotel, with new experience and lifestyles for customers. The management also brought in IT technologies for “Creative Guest” customers’ convenience and to create a different service for creative guests who are infatuated with the technology and new lifestyle, which includes new ways of booking rooms and using hotel services. Today, Le Meridien has revived the Surawong road with its five-star hotel quality and its new core value of “Chic Cultured Discovery”.
Le Meridien Bangkok is located on Surawong road - one of the oldest business district in Thailand. The hotel is a 24-story building, with modern yet sophisticated design. Its glasses building is very unique and stylish, which make it looking bright in the mid-day and subdued at night. Each of the hotel’s 282 subtle guestrooms and suites captures the colorful views in Bangkok through floor-toceiling windows. The building includes restaurants, meeting rooms, bars, spa, fitness and outdoor swimming pool.
From the first step, guests will be enticed by unique but chic designs. The hotel is
decorated with dark colors and modern furniture, serenaded by beautiful music in the lobby. These will be a delight to guests in all senses.
As a hotel that has many branches all over the globe, one of the most challenging tasks for the hotel management is to differentiate the hotel from its competitors -
in terms of not only its design and hospitality services but also the uniqueness and employed IT technologies. Le Meridien Bangkok has deployed the IP Phone Unified Communication system and network infrastructure, which is implemented by its technology partner - Cisco. “We need to provide new service for our customers and create direct customer experience for creative guests who have good tastes and open minds to learn and embrace new technologies. Today, Information Technology helps offer comfortable and fast-paced lifestyle” Teerapakorn Thaveetermsakul, Complex IT Manager LE MERIDIEN BANGKOK and PLAZA ATHENEE BANGKOK, A ROYAL MERIDIEN HOTEL said. “This is why we viewed IT as a tool to help us enhance hotel service qualities and support employee as well as management working processes. We have installed IP phones in each room, Wi-Fi Phones for mobile users, and wireless LAN as well as IPTV all over the hotel.”
Because of this, the hotel needs to have the best networkinfrastructure to accommodate the customer applications. It also needs to have network tools to create the best customer experience. These provide the best values for the hotel as well as controlling the costs. Fast communications with IP phone system To provide communication services for customers, Le Meridien Bangkok deployed Cisco Unified Communications Solution. Once checked in, guests will see the welcoming message in the IP phones installed in their hotel rooms.
To differentiate itself among other competitors, Le Meridien Bangkok installs Cisco IP Phone system to create a new customer experience from checking-in to walking into hotel rooms. Every rooms in the hotel is equipped with Cisco IP Phone 7970G including large highresolution color touch-screen displays with soft keys, dedicated buttons and built-in applications that allows guests to immediately access information and hotel services. Guests can access voice messages service, search for interesting destinations, find phone numbers and receive information provided by the hotel, which include weather information as well as flight timetables. The phone menus are available in five languages: English, Japanese, Chinese, German and Spanish.
To enhance convenience, the hotel also provides Cisco Wireless IP Phone 7921 in all hotel suites, which allow guests access voice data through wireless systems all over the hotel. Guests can carry the wireless phones to any place inside the hotel and will never miss the communication. They can also access hotel information by using the soft keys on the screen.
The system uses POE (Power Over Ethernet), which provides power to each phone through LAN cables. This technology does not need AC cabling power standard, which will decrease the use of cables and sockets in each room. If there is a power shortage, the power generators will be able to deliver power to the IT systems along with the IP phone system inside the hotel, preventing the communication disruption.
Furthermore, the IP phones also can connect with the Analog phone. The IP PBX system, which is the main component inside the IP phone system, has the voice analog gateway and can connect the analog telephones.
The strong infrastructure The hotel must have a strong network infrastructure to ensure stable and effective systems, resulting in better customer satisfaction. Therefore, it decided to use the Cisco network system for hotel processes and providing services for guests.
With core switch Cisco 4506 to support backbone of network, hotel able to provide of Gigabit network level. Not only the primary network but also secondary network systems of each floor also support Gigabit speeds too. With these capabilities, Le Meridien Bangkok can provide IT applications, IP phone systems, IP TV, steaming media through all hotel rooms in the same time. It can also provide text, video and voice information for hotel guests and accommodate for future IT systems.
“All the IT systems with all the information that flows through the hotel management application, video data, movie, TV Program in the IP TV system, data that run inside all the wireless
