Grand Hotel Wien Combines Majesty of Austro-Hungarian Empire With 21st Century NonStop Wireless Networking
Two hotels owned by the same company and located across the street from each other are delivering NonStop Wireless Networking from Trapeze Networks with only 210 access points - quite a feat for two buildings constructed in 1870 out of mortar and stone.
The Pinnacle of Elegance...
A bastion of columns, balustrades, and chandeliers, the Grand Hotel Wien is a Belle Epoque style built in 1870, and located one block from Vienna's State Opera and three blocks from Stadtpark, the Albertina Art Museum, and Haus der Musik. Since opening its doors, Grand Hotel Wien has been an institution of major importance for Viennese society and Europe. Grand Hotel Wien's role in the majestic age of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was once again brought to life when the hotel reopened in 1994. Hotel guests regularly write comments such as, "We found the Grand Wien to have incredible world elegance with modern service." The Grand Hotel Wien operator, JJW Hotels & Resorts, also owns Vienna's Ring Hotel, a five-star luxury hotel offering guests outstanding comfort and exquisite luxury. The Ring has a particularly beautiful lobby including two elevators whisking guests to their stylish rooms or suites.
....Meets the State-of-the Art Networking
Today this elegant hotel offers modern and extremely congenial luxury accommodations reflecting the hotel's long and rich history. The entire hotel now has NonStop Wireless Networking from Trapeze Networks, a Belden brand (NYSE:BDC). "Wireless Internet access is commonplace today and most of our business guests take it for granted," says Benjamin Hupeden, the WLAN project director for both hotels. In a first step, 140 access points and two controllers were installed at Grand Hotel Wien. The Ring, across the street, has 70 access points.
"The solution offers excellent value for money. What's more, we have thus far experienced neither any downtime nor the slightest technical problem with the system," said Hupeden.
In the interest of ensuring that this level of performance can be maintained, Trapeze delivers round-the-clock technical support for its WLAN installations. The advantage of this service is that software upgrades installed during go-live operation do not affect service quality and allow for a malfunction-free failover in the event of a network crash. JJW Hotels & Resorts is so satisfied with the wireless Internet technology at Grand Hotel Wien and The Ring that the company now plans to install Trapeze's WLAN service at 20 hotels in the near future and 60 more in the long term. "The installation process went very smoothly," says Mr. Hupeden.
Trapeze RingMaster Scores High Marks
Trapeze's RingMaster planning software came in for particularly high praise. "We placed a great deal of importance on the planning phase," notes Mr. Hupeden. The reason for this is that if implementation of a WLAN network is not carefully planned and managed, the cost of the project can skyrocket. For example, if access points are in short supply or are not deployed in an optimal configuration, there may be network coverage gaps. RingMaster provides installation support for WLAN projects by supplying clearly structured installation diagrams, as well as through other forms of installation and network support. Moreover, the entire installation and network operation process is simplified by Trapeze's RingMaster WLAN management suite, which allows for remote programming of network controllers.
Wireless Internet access is currently free of charge for Grand Hotel Wien and Ring guests. However, both hotels might launch a high-bandwidth media streaming or voice over WLAN service that would be subject to a charge. Trapeze Network's SmartPass solution is an excellent way to implement such a service. SmartPass can be accessed by various users simultaneously via various Web interfaces, depending on the users' access permissions. Specific guest access profiles based on access times and days can also be defined. Guest access accounts are activated immediately upon definition of the relevant start and end date.
A WLAN system in a hotel does not entail extensive work for an IT specialist since the system administrator simply defines the relevant user profiles. During go-live operation, "ordinary" users, who need not have any special IT expertise, define access rights for individuals or groups (bulk configuration) using a Web front-end. A concierge or secretary who operates the application via a PC can provide guests with access to the network. Although the completion date for the WLAN project at Grand Hotel Wien and The Ring hotel is still uncertain, wireless Internet access is already a given for the hotels' guests. This is a service that not all hotels offer. But this holds true as well for many amenities that make both of these hotels so very special.
