INTRODUCTION
Located in Panama City Beach, Florida, Boardwalk Beach Hotel & Convention Center serves as an ideal getaway for families, groups and business travelers alike. In addition to featuring a range of experience-enhancing amenities such as a private beach, two swimming pools and even an onsite arcade, the property also caters to a wide range of events and business traveler needs with its 20,000 square feet of convention center space. Yet in striving to exceed every guest expectation, Boardwalk Beach Hotel recognizes the top priority that guests place on obtaining a fast, reliable and secure internet connection regardless of whether a guest is staying for business or leisure. With more and more guests seeking seamless connectivity for the streaming of personalized content, downloading and uploading files or for the holding of video conferences, property leadership significantly understands how the quality of their Wi-Fi service can play a critical role in maintaining both a positive reputation and competitive business.
CHALLENGE
Following the destruction of its previous network from hurricane Michael, Boardwalk Beach Hotel set out to adopt a replacement. However, as guest expectations for a hotel’s Wi-Fi service capabilities continue to grow, the property identified a vital need to select a network solution that could fully accommodate the increased strain placed on today’s hotel internet networks. To guarantee only the highest level of guest satisfaction, Boardwalk Beach Hotel sought out a network provider with proven expertise in delivering high performance Wi-Fi and experience in overcoming common industry challenges such as spotty Wi-Fi signal coverage and dropped connections.
Ultimately, The Barfield selected HIS due to its extensive expertise and reputation for providing industry-leading connectivity. During the network implementation process, HIS leveraged its industry-specific expertise to implement advanced Ruckus access points within strategic areas, delivering a consistently high-performance and reliable Wi-Fi signal throughout all hotel areas.
After vetting several competing providers and performing numerous site surveys, the hotel selected HIS as its preferred choice due to both the company’s years of dedicated expertise in hospitality-based network connectivity and its experience with serving the online needs of buildings featuring an older construction.
Significantly, Boardwalk Beach hotel was able to utilize HIS industry knowledge in designing a network infrastructure that could provide a strong enough Wi-Fi signal able to penetrate the property’s thick walls and nonetheless ensure fast and reliable coverage throughout all onsite locations. This not only includes Boardwalk Beach hotel’s guestrooms but also its onsite restaurants, two outdoor swimming pools, conference space and other public-facing areas. With HIS technician support, this was achieved via the installation of more than four miles of Ethernet cabling and the strategic deployment of Ruckus access points to eliminate any potential Wi-Fi dead spots that can frequently lead to drops in guest satisfaction.
“Providing our guests with fast and strong Wi-Fi connectivity was essential to creating a positive guest experience even before the onset of the pandemic, but now with so many travelers also relying on a fast and stable connection to work remotely, it has become all the more critical… It is crucial for hoteliers to identify and work with a provider with proven results to ensure the hotel’s Wi-Fi is meeting the latest guest expectations, and HIS has lived up to its excellent reputation. We not only experienced a seamless and swift installation process but can also attest to the company’s ability of providing high-speed connectivity regardless of where a guest may be located within the property.”
In addition to HIS’ advanced technology and expertise, another factor in Boardwalk Beach Hotel’s decision to partner with the network provider is its ability to provide swift customer support. Available to both the hotel’s employees and guests is HIS’ 24/7 support services, staffed by some of the industry’s most experienced network professionals who can provide immediate assistance for a wide range of Wi-Fi troubleshooting and performance issues. This can include providing assistance for Wi-Fi card driver and SSID configuration, device Wi-Fi login difficulties and the setting up of virtual private networks (VPN).
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
- Implement a network able to overcome structural challenges in order to deliver fast and reliable connectivity throughout all onsite areas.
- Ensure that any guest troubleshooting issues can be swiftly corrected before leading to a reduction in satisfaction rates.
SOLUTION
- Leverage HIS’ decades of hospitality-specific expertise to design a network solution capable of overcoming the presence of thick walls to ensure that guests are guaranteed a fast and seamless experience regardless of onsite location.
- Provide guests with access to 24/7 HIS support for the fast resolution of virtually any network connectivity challenge.
