Sheraton Dubai, Mall of the Emirates Hotel provides best-in-class wireless connectivity to guests powered by Aruba Networks
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 30th April, 2014 - Aruba
Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARUN) today announced that the Sheraton Dubai,
Mall of the Emirates Hotel, one of the newer additions to the Sheraton
portfolio which belongs to Starwood Hotels and Resorts, has successfully
upgraded the Wi-Fi network in its Mall of the Emirates (MoE) property
using Aruba’s high performance Wi-Fi access points (APs) and mobility
controllers to provide uninterrupted wireless connectivity to its
guests.
Through the hotel’s
wireless network, guests can connect and browse the Internet, access
social media and email applications and stream video. With Aruba
Networks, the Sheraton Dubai Mall of the Emirates Hotel is able to offer
a variety of connection speeds ranging from complimentary basic access
to chargeable premium levels. The upgrade has helped maintain the high
standards set by the Sheraton Dubai Mall of the Emirates property, which
regularly sees spikes in the number of devices connecting to the
wireless network.
Vises Kith, Director
of IT, Sheraton Dubai Mall of the Emirates Hotel, said, “Aruba is a
leading provider of next-generation network access solutions for mobile
enterprises. Our guests utilize their mobile devices from the minute
they enter the hotel to connect to social media platforms, access email
and stream video. We feel that Aruba's range of products delivers the
quality and consistency necessary to transfer the associated large
volumes of data at the high speeds required. Furthermore, the mobility
controller has completely eliminated the challenges of configuring,
managing and troubleshooting the wireless network which has dramatically
improved our guests' experience while reducing the efforts of the IT
team.”
After consulting with a
third party systems integrator, MDS PACC, and assessing a range of
competitive solutions, Kith and his team decided to update their
existing wireless solution with Aruba’s latest offerings. Aruba is
already an approved vendor for the Starwood Group, which, in addition to
the Sheraton Brand, owns eight other internationally renowned hotel
brands.
“The Sheraton Group is
known for its hospitality and service. The philosophy of the Sheraton
Brand is all about connecting people both for work and family and
friends at home. Therefore it is crucial for the hotel to provide
seamless services required by the modern social traveler. When we met
them, they were looking to upgrade their solution to enhance the guest
experience throughout the property. By working closely together to
understand their requirements, we were able to deliver a wireless
network capable of providing excellent performance with a low capital
investment,” said Zeeshan Hadi, Territory Manager, United Arab Emirates
at Aruba Networks.
A total of 350 Aruba
APs were deployed across the business center, 481 guest rooms, and the
public areas of the hotel covering 24 floors, 10 meeting rooms, the
restaurants and two lobby areas. Aruba is also providing wireless
coverage in all back-office areas. The 350 APs are all remotely
configured and managed by an Aruba 7200 series mobility controller.
“The Aruba APs we
selected are so powerful that on many occasions, we could use a single
device to provide Internet access across multiple rooms. This helped
curtail costs while maximizing the utilization of each device,” said
Kith.
The wireless system
installation took two months and was seamlessly executed by MDS PACC so
as not to cause any inconvenience to the guests. On completion of the
installation, the hotel’s IT department carried out a series of tests
which revealed that the level of service and wireless performance met
the stringent international standards laid down by the Sheraton Brand
Standards.
“It is not easy to
find a wireless network that meets our requirements. With Aruba, we
found a reliable partner to meet the expectations of our guests and make
sure that our brand standards are delivered. The simplicity of the
system, combined with the reliable service provided by the team behind
the deployment, has left us completely satisfied with our decision.
Since the upgrade, we have received no negative feedback which is
extremely encouraging to our team,” concluded Kith.
