Enterprise-class Wi-Fi network able to support more
than 32,000 mobile devices across 3,000 guest rooms and hotel facilities
DOHA,
Qatar – 30th, October, 2014 - Aruba Networks, Inc.
(NASDAQ: ARUN) has successfully completed one of the Middle East’s largest
wireless LAN projects in hospitality at the 3,000 room Ezdan Hotels West Bay in
Qatar. In addition to enabling complimentary Wi-Fi services across the
facility, the Aruba wireless overlay design dramatically cuts network cabling
costs saving Ezdan Hotels West Bay.
“Today Wi-Fi is an imperative technology to
satisfy travellers who expect to stay connected at all times,” said Samer
Habbouch, Territory Manager, Qatar at Aruba
Networks. “Although most guests expect Wi-Fi to be a free service, they are
quick to vocalize their dissatisfaction if the wireless quality is not up to
mark. Aruba's enterprise-class mobility solution has enabled Ezdan to provide
its guests with hassle-free, secure and reliable Internet access.”
According to Ezdan Hotels West Bay, the
decision to select the Aruba solution was based on the proactive support of
Aruba Networks and its integration partner, Qatar Datamation Systems (QDS), and
Aruba’s ability to centrally manage and automate labour-intensive tasks. This
was particularly important given the large size of the property, which made
manually configuring and maintaining Access Points (APs) a significant
challenge.
While the Hotel continued to operate at full
capacity, QDS completed the deployment in just three months, avoiding any
inconvenience to guests. QDS installed Aruba
wireless across the entire facility including guest rooms,
banquet halls, parking, pool and additional guest areas. Each AP was
strategically deployed to extend wireless coverage to more than one room,
reducing the number of APs and installation time to reduce overall cost. The
hotel utilized Aruba
Mobility Controllers, giving its IT team the ability to manage
secure authentication, encryption, VPN connections, IPv4 and IPv6 services and
wireless intrusion protection for more than 32,000 mobile devices
simultaneously.
With Aruba's solution in place, Ezdan Hotels
West Bay now has complete visibility and control of the network and devices on
it from a single, easy-to-use interface. The hotel's IT Team has also added
comprehensive real-time monitoring capabilities to streamline troubleshooting
and remediation by implementing Aruba AirWave Network
Management. According to Aruba, AirWave allows the hotel to
‘identify and resolve problems in its wireless network before the issue results
in helpdesk calls from guests’.
“Aruba's mobility solutions are centered
around delivering enterprise-grade quality and performance in a cost-efficient
package,” said Samer Habbouch. “This huge project at Ezdan Hotels West Bay is
further validation of our capabilities to meet #GenMobile
mobility needs in the hospitality sector. The new Aruba infrastructure not only
supports complimentary Wi-Fi for guests, but can also be leveraged as a
platform to generate new revenue streams through premium service offerings.”
Ezdan Hotels West Bay is a part of Ezdan
Holding Group, which is featured among the world's leading organizations in
Forbes Magazine’s Global 2000 list. With the hotel already reaping the benefits
of Aruba's Wireless network, plans are underway to replicate this success in
other companies that are a part of the Group.
