HP Networking | IT Case Study | ExecSuite | HP

ExecSuite uses HP Networking to provide
guests with anywhere, anytime access
HP wireless access solution delivers services guests expect with the ease of management
that ExecSuite requires
“Our previous hard-wired Internet service was very
old, slow and not reliable. We made the decision to
upgrade our network because our guests had come
to expect the flexibility and mobility of wireless access
throughout the entire building. The HP networking
solution makes this possible while remaining adaptable
in order to accommodate special needs or requests.”
–Michael Stern, President, ExecSuite Inc.
Objective
To provide a highly-available, easily managed
network infrastructure that includes wireless,
anywhere, anytime access to the Internet for
the hotel’s extended-stay guests, including top
executives from companies based in both Canada
and abroad.
Approach
HP customer case study:
HP Networking
Industry: Hospitality
Use an HP network, including switches, wireless
access points, Multiservice Mobility Controller
and Guest Management software to provide
guests with anywhere, anytime access without
re-authentication and enable management by any
member of hotel staff
IT technology improvements
•Provides wireless access to guests throughout
hotel
•Eliminates need to re-authenticate when moving
from room to room
•Enables central network management by any
member of hotel staff
•Power-over-Ethernet eliminates need for separate
power cabling – saved approximately $5,000
CAD in installation; enables UPS and power
management for additional savings of about
$4,000 CAD/year
Business outcomes
•Improves operational agility by delivering
services needed today and capacity for future
growth
•Expands client functionality
•HP Lifetime Warranty saves an estimated $
13,000 CAD/year in maintenance and support
costs
Launched in 1978, ExecSuite is a family-owned
business located in the heart of Calgary’s business
district. Committed to providing guests with clean,
welcoming and affordable living spaces, the hotel
features 175 furnished suites designed for business
travelers, individuals and families on the go.
In order to provide value for clients and meet growing
industry demand for secure wireless access throughout
the entire hotel, ExecSuite contacted HP reseller Shing
Digital.
“The most important thing for ExecSuite was to
implement a wireless network that would allow guests
to go anywhere in the hotel without sacrificing wireless
coverage or reliability,” notes Mitch Forster, account
and marketing manager at Shing Digital.
Having worked with ExecSuite for nearly 10 years
as an IT service and solution provider, Shing Digital
was familiar with the challenges associated with
implementing a wireless network throughout the hotel’s
guest rooms and public areas.
The hotel’s pair of thirty-year-old buildings – including
a tower and a manor made of wood—presented
the Shing Digital team with their biggest challenge.
A standard wireless access point simply would not
provide the coverage or reliability needed to power
the wireless network consistently throughout both
buildings. At the same time, without dedicated IT
support staff on-site, ExecSuite also needed a wireless
network that its front desk staff could easily manage.
After assessing the needs of both hotel staff and
guests, Shing Digital recommended a layered network
approach built on HP switches. To provide the
seamless wireless coverage needed, over a period of
two weeks the Shing Digital team installed forty-three
strategically-placed wireless access points throughout
ExecSuite’s two facilities, including both HP E-MSM310
and E-MSM320 Access Points. The team also installed
three HP E3500-PoE+ yl Switches, chosen for their
2
advanced feature set and Power over Ethernet (PoE)
capabilities.
“We considered a Cisco LRE wired solution,” explains
CaSh Wong, president, Shing Digital, “but we thought
it was too expensive and might still present the same
problems due to aging cabling. We also considered
other wireless solutions and controllers, but nothing
gave us the out-of-the-box ease for the front desk that
the HP solution provides.”
Wong continues, “We wanted to minimize the amount
of cabling throughout the two buildings by running
only network cables. “By using PoE switches, we
could power the wireless and multi-service access
points without the added hassle and expense of new
electrical wire.”
The HP E3500-PoE+ yl Switch Series was also chosen
for its purpose-built, programmable ProVision ASIC.
This will allow ExecSuite to add more demanding
networking features, such as IP-video security
capabilities, in a scalable fashion as they grow.
To ease management, Shing Digital recommended
an HP E-MSM750 Mobility Controller with HP Guest
Customer at
a glance
Name: ExecSuite
Headquarters: Calgary,
Alberta
Telephone: (403) 294-5800
Number of guest rooms: 175
URL: www.execsuite.ca
Management Software, to centrally manage each
wireless access point and keep track of visitors
accessing the network. While Shing Digital provides
on-going technical support for the hotel, the front desk
staff needed the flexibility to oversee the network and
manage guest access on a day-to-day basis.
“The Guest Management Software is very slick, very
easy to use,” notes Wong. “The front desk staff
at ExecSuite – who are not IT experts – can easily
activate an access code for a new guest by printing a
voucher with all of the necessary technical information
upon check-in that can go into the guest’s welcome
package.”
“Since installing HP networking wireless
access, we’ve noticed a decline in the
number of guests reporting access
problems to the front desk.”
− Michael Stern, president, ExecSuite Inc.
The E-MSM750 Mobility Controller also allows users
to carry their laptops from room to room throughout
the hotel without having to re-authenticate each
time the computer syncs with a new wireless access
point. In addition, it allows network changes to be
immediately passed to each wireless access point
without the hassle of individually updating or installing
upgrades to every device on the network.
Customer solution at a glance:
Primary applications
Wireless Internet access for guests and staff
Primary hardware
•HP E3500-PoE+ yl Switch Series
•HP E-MSM310 and E-MSM320 Access Points
•HP E-MSM750 Mobility Controller
Primary software
•HP Guest Management Software
specialists at ExecSuite have also noticed a
remarkable difference in client satisfaction since
implementing the HP networking equipment.
“Since installing HP wireless access, we’ve noticed
a decline in the number of guests reporting access
problems to the front desk,” notes Stern.
In addition, the new network ensures complete security
and privacy. The hotel’s front desk staff has control
over who can access the wireless service, ensuring
rogue users do not log into the service without the
proper authentication. The network’s security features
also protect guest-users from knowing who else is
accessing the wireless service, again protecting
guests and staff from potential security breaches or
information leaks.
“Security was a concern, as ExecSuite’s CEO and
executive guests often deal with very private and
confidential corporate matters,” Forster says. “The HP
Going wireless
networking solution is well-equipped to address these
With a new HP network in place, ExecSuite can now
issues, and allows our staff to have complete control
provide free wireless access throughout the entire hotel over who is accessing the network at any given time.”
to every guest, a capability that executive clientele
Beyond today’s capabilities, the new wireless network
have come to expect.
gives ExecSuite room to grow in the future, making
“Our previous hard-wired Internet service was very
way for new VoIP, video-on-demand and IP-video
old, slow and unreliable,” says Michael Stern,
security cameras in the future.
president, ExecSuite. “We made the decision to
“This upgrade is just the beginning,” says Stern.
upgrade our network because our guests had come
to expect the flexibility and mobility of wireless access “There are other technologies we will want to access
in the future through our wireless system and we’re
throughout the entire building, and the HP solution
confident that our HP networking equipment will allow
makes this possible while remaining adaptable in
us to do so.”
order to accommodate special needs or requests.”
While Shing Digital manages the network and
provides regular technical support, guest services
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4AA1-1007ENW, Created October 2010