NH Hotel Group      

NH Hotel Group (www.nhhotelgroup.com) is a well-established multinational hospitality operator, renowned as a premier urban hotel company in Europe and America, boasting a portfolio of over 350 hotels. It is committed to delivering unique and tailored experiences to cater to the diverse preferences and requirements of global travelers.

The Location

Nestled in the heart of Venice, Italy, Hotel NH Venezia Santa Lucia is a stunning S XIX building featuring an elegant lobby and garden. Its five floors comprise 100 well-appointed rooms that have been recently renovated, offering guests the most advanced and modern amenities and services.

The Challenge

NH Hotel Group provides complimentary Wi-Fi service to all its guests. At Hotel Santa Lucía, this service faced a challenge due to the building's solid walls and radio signal transmission difficulties. To overcome this hurdle, a system integrator with extensive experience in deploying Wi-Fi systems for top-tier hotel chains conducted a thorough analysis of the building's architecture and identified an ideal solution: the deployment of access points (APs) in each room. This ensured guests could enjoy the best possible service. In collaboration with the hotel chain, the integrator implemented the latest Wi-Fi technology - the 802.11ax standard (Wi-Fi 6) - in high traffic areas to meet the needs of the hotel's guests.

The Solution

The EnGenius solution was proposed as the ultimate benchmark for stability and robustness in areas of high traffic, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.

NH Hotel Group outlined essential service requirements for the Wi-Fi network, which included:

·        Providing Wi-Fi service that exceeds the expectations of international travelers.

·        Providing reliable and consistent Wi-Fi coverage in every corner of the hotel.

·        Ensuring the Wi-Fi signal is strong and stable enough to support video conferencing from anywhere in the hotel.

·        Establishing a secure and isolated guest network at the L2 level, separate from internal networks and other clients.

·        Allowing guests to access and stream content from their preferred platforms, even in high traffic common areas.

·        Offering remote network management, real-time visualization, and usage statistics for enhanced network performance monitoring.

Advanced Service

By utilizing the EnGenius Cloud solution's cloud management capabilities, the integrator could provision all devices, including access points (APs) and switches, in advance through their serial numbers (S/N). The system allowed for differentiation and configuration of different Service Set Identifiers (SSIDs) even before equipment deployment. The installation was monitored continuously 24/7 through the control panel in EnGenius Cloud, with alerts defined and received based on pre-set parameters. Through the Client Time-Line feature, the system could determine the connection quality of each guest, even while roaming, and multiple installations could be monitored from a mobile device for added convenience and flexibility.

Technological Accessibility

In today's world, the Wi-Fi service offered by a hotel establishment is highly valued and prioritized over other traditional services. Travellers expect seamless and high-quality connectivity during their stays, whether for professional or personal purposes. Guests want immediate and reliable access to the internet, as they often need to share content with friends and family, stay up-to-date on social media, or work remotely. The quality of a hotel's Wi-Fi service can significantly impact a guest's overall experience and satisfaction, regardless of whether they are travelling for business or leisure.

Operational Accessibility

The NH Hotel Group has leveraged the power of EnGenius Cloud to manage its facilities remotely, ensuring that it provides a guest network service that is constantly monitored by the integrator. With EnGenius Cloud and its cutting-edge devices, the integrator and the customer can rest assured that their guests will always have reliable and seamless connectivity, no matter where they are in the hotel.

To ensure that it stays at the forefront of service excellence, NH Hotel Group has chosen to deploy EnGenius ECW220 Wi-Fi 6 Access Points in areas with high customer density. This advanced technology provides unprecedented connection speed potential per customer, setting a new standard for connectivity in the hospitality industry.

With these Access Points, guests can enjoy a range of benefits, including the ability to directly transmit content from their personal devices to the hotel's TVs, which are equipped with Wi-Fi connections. This feature provides an enhanced in-room entertainment experience that is sure to impress even the most discerning guests.

The Equipment:

The NH Venezia Santa Lucia Hotel's Wi-Fi network was upgraded using a combination of Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 access points. These cutting-edge devices, with up to 1800Mbps of capacity, provide customers with lightning-fast connectivity, enabling them to browse the internet, stream high-definition video, and make uninterrupted video calls with ease.

Equipment with Power over Ethernet (PoE) af/at capability provides maximum flexibility during installation, as it eliminates the need for separate power outlets and allows devices to be powered and connected through a single Ethernet cable.

The following equipment was utilized for the project:

·        10 units of EnGenius Cloud Switch ECS1112FP

·        3 units of EnGenius Cloud Switch ECS1528FP

·        63 units of EnGenius Cloud ECW120 Access Point

·        5 units of EnGenius Cloud ECW220 Access Point

EnGenius Cloud serves as the central console for managing all the equipment, eliminating the need for any additional drivers to be installed in the hotel.

"The EnGenius Cloud solution has truly transformed our guest connectivity experience, elevating it to the level of the world's top hotels. The exceptional features of this solution have not only enabled us to provide seamless connectivity but also led to a significant increase in customer satisfaction. At NH Venezia Santa Lucia Hotel, we are proud to offer our guests nothing but the best."

– NH Hotel Group (Mª Angels Salayet) IT & System